Rubber Match Heisei Series
by RougeBaron
Summary: Jeremy had everything: money, fame, women, and a great army under his command. But when a Solaris jock ruined his life, he went on a glory quest: Solaris Grand Championship. Second attempt at Jeremy and his Solaris gang, now rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Rubber Match: Heisei Series**

**Note:** I wasn't very satisfied with the first run of this series. My major problem was that I tried to control too many characters. It was fun at first, and for some time I enjoyed doing this 'Sin City' kind of story. But as the story progressed, I got confused and put myself on a corner. I guess multiple storyline is not my strong point.

So I went back and redid this series in a more traditional point of view: Jeremy Stewart as the main guy, with everybody else as supporting characters. I also discarded silly subplots that confused me, and only focused on one plot. Everything moved fine after that.

So here it is my second attempt for this storyline. It's still lighthearted although I put a lot of adult materials in it; hence the rating M. Hope you enjoy it, but don't push yourself if you're not comfortable with it.

_BattleTech / MechWarrior_ and all its components are copyright of _FASA, Wizkids, FanPro, InfoCom, ActiVision, MicroProse, Micro$oft Entertainment, Topps_ and now _Smith and Tinker_. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**Sandway Building, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**June 11, 3067**_

Jeremy Stewart looked through the small apartment room and muttered, "What the hell am I doing here?"

It was a mundane box, with a standard-sized bed and a simple cupboard. The only window – if it could be called a window instead of a hole on the wall – gave a view of the dirty streets of Montenegro. The glass was cracked and the blind was almost ripped off its attachments. He could clearly hear people talking and vehicle running from the street outside.

However, the bedroom was a luxury compared to the bathroom and kitchen. All taps leaked. The bathtub was dirty. The kitchen sink contained a lot of grease and food crumbs that had not been cleaned for some time. The stench of stale food filled the room. Jeremy expected to see some rats and roaches, but so far he hadn't spotted one.

The room was a far cry from his old room back at New St. Andrews. His bathroom alone was bigger than this entire apartment unit. His bed was spacious, smelled potpourri, and he had different girl almost every night – sometimes more than one. Back then, he was a prince. He was young, handsome, rich, and on top of his world. And then his heart was smitten by a woman from a rival family. He went as far as proposing to her, an engagement that was piggybacked by his father to take advantage of the other family. But Jeremy didn't care. He was in love.

But everything was not meant to be. His fiancee left him for some Solaris jerk. Everything he thought about loyalty and betrayal was turned upside down. The fallout of his engagement was war, and Jeremy quickly took his battalion to flatten the other family who only had a company of battlemechs. However, the lack of number was compensated by higher quality of troops. Jeremy was constantly outflanked and outsmarted. In the end, he was brought down to his knees by his ex fiancée.

[**Author's note**: for complete story, you can read Jeremy's background in _We Are Cavaliers_]

Broken, Jeremy left his home comforts and went to the game world with one thing in mind: to win the Solaris Grand Championship. Here in Solaris, he was nobody. He was just another rookie that came to Solaris for fame and wealth, only to find out that the game world was not as shimmering as shown in the television. Earlier that day he joined Ground Control stable, one of the small stables in Solaris City. The audition went well; he beat the stable's best pilot, a nasty mechwarrior named Mac Storm. Now he had to start as the stable's newbie, probably fighting from _blood pit_ to _blood pit_ before making his way up to the big arenas.

[**Author's note**: you can read the Prologue to this story in _Knights In FerroFibrous_ Ch.17-19]

As he loathed the lack of living standard of the apartment and pondered what in the world he got himself into, a pair came into the room. The man was in his mid twenties, with a long dark mullet covered with a cap that he wore backward. Jeremy knew him as Kilroy, the stable's technician. The girl, a taut girl with bleached colorful hair, was Kilroy's best friend Jenny. She worked as the security officer of the stable. They were the first persons Jeremy met when he came to the stable.

"Well?" Jenny asked. "What do you think? Obviously this is not the same standard as you might have had in the past, but this is better than some other units in the building."

"This is not up to any standard," Jeremy scoffed, checking underneath the mattress for any sign of ticks.

"If you're not comfortable, you can bunk with me tonight," Jenny offered. "My apartment is just two floors above you. Tomorrow we'll clean everything up."

Jeremy gave Jenny a strange look. He just knew Jenny, but he already sensed flirtatious signals from her. It was flattering and depressing at the same time. Why was he appealing to any chick except the one he cared the most? It didn't make any sense to him.

"Thanks, Jenny, but that's not necessary," Jeremy replied. "Let me just borrow a few sheets from you. I can sleep anywhere as long as it's dry."

"Yeah, Jeremy needs a good-night rest," Kilroy tuned in. "Tomorrow we'll see the new mech _Apocalypse_."

"I've never heard of such a mech," Jeremy said. "Is it Solaris-based like the _Colossus_?"

"For now," Kilroy explained. "The chassis was based on old design discovered by Gray Death Legion on the memory cache. If I remember correctly, it was the mainstay of human resistance during the Earth Siege period. VEST bought the design and invested some money on it, then generously lent it to us as a test bed. Right now they design it as an arena mech, but in the future they could sell it as a front-line mech."

"So what am I looking forward to?" Jeremy mused.

"Killing machine," Kilroy's answer came with a smile. "That's the best I can come up with. The _Apocalypse_ is a 70-ton beast with 12 tons of armor, 64-kph maximum speed, and UAC-10 as its primary weapon. Back up weapons include one large laser, two medium lasers, and two SRM-4s. You also have CASE to prevent instant death if the ammo bins go _kaboom_."

"I've been driving a 'quad mech for sometime. I think I might've forgotten how to drive a biped," Jeremy raised his concern. "How's the stability, especially when you fire the UAC-10 in a pitched battle?"

"VEST engineers tested the UAC-10 in full speed. The mech is as stable as a brick. They said the recoil felt only like a small vibration on the cockpit. But no pilot has brought it to real combat. That's your role in a few weeks to come: to push it beyond its limit in the arenas."

"Why me?" Jeremy asked. "You already have Mac in the heavy circuit. Why not him?"

"Yeah, about Mac," Jenny responded as she sat on the bed. "Our leader, Major Tom, doesn't really like Mac. Hell, nobody does. He's a pompous sonofabitch that thinks he's above everybody else in the stable. He's good, I'll give him that. He's bringing good money for the stable, but his attitude is toxic."

"So Major Tom is in a bad position," Kilroy added. "If he fires Mac, nobody will support the stable. But keeping Mac creates a bad atmosphere. I think by putting you as the new pilot, he's sorta looking for a replacement for Mac. If you can support this stable the way Mac does, he's gone. I'm sure of that."

"Alright," Jeremy sighed. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

"Well then, you'll prove it in combat," Jenny smiled while walking out of the door. "I'll bring the sheets down, although my offer still stands."

"I'll pass," Jeremy replied, nodding appreciatively. "This is my place now. Sooner or later I will have to get used to it, so I guess I'll start now."

"Good," Kilroy followed Jenny outside. "Sleep tight, man."

"Good night," Jeremy waved as the two walked out of the door. Once again he looked at the room, wondering if he did the right decision. He was just 21 and had a lot of things in front of him. Leaving behind his life as a prince in exchange for a life like this was a childish decision. Sometimes he felt he was wasting his time, chasing something he couldn't get.

But when he looked at the picture of the girl that left him, when he remembered all the good times he spent with her, even the abysmall apartment felt worthwhile. _What could it hurt?_ Jeremy thought. _If I work hard, I'll be Grand Champion in 5 years. Even if it takes 10 years, I'll still be 31_. _I'm still ripe for anything. _

As he drifted to sleep, he heard somebody knocking on his door. It was probably Jenny bringing down some sheets for his mattress. He was too tired to answer the door, so he let her knock for some time. His consciousness faded away just as the knocks stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**Allman District, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**July 11, 3067**_

It was almost midnight, and drizzle wetted the streets around Montenegro, illuminated only by dim neons. Mickey fastened his feet through the damp streets, looking over his shoulder once in a while. His feet trundled a puddle, but he didn't mind. No, it was not the rain or the cold he was trying to avoid. Many strange things happened in Solaris lately. Steiner and Davion loyalists kept bashing each other at every opportunities, and other factions like Kuritans or Liaos or even Clanners started to reek into Montenegro.

Not long ago Mickey heard some nasty people fighting and killing each other over a Clan schematic that was smuggled into Solaris. _A Clan schematic got smuggled into Solaris?_ It didn't make any sense. But the fight was very real. People got killed for real. Whether they were fighting over a Clan schematic or something else, Mickey didn't know. He didn't want any part of it.

The drizzle lightened up, and Mickey pondered about his life. He was a product of FedCom civil war. Five years ago his father was sent to Kentares IV under Colonel Duncan Burke. It was supposed to be an easy job. _Kentares people don't stand a chance against Lyran's mighty hands_, Duncan Burke once said. One year later, news about Lyran's loss at Kentares reeked into the HPG, and neither Burke nor Mickey's father returned.

Now Mickey, already in constant clash with his step mother, immediately ran away. After 2 years of scraping off anything he could find to survive, he met Stan. Stan introduced him to Kilroy, who was looking for an assistant. So Kilroy took Mickey under his wing, but the apprenticeship didn't last long. Kilroy found Mr. Roboto, a tech robot, and the two quickly bond a lasting relationship. Reluctant to go back to the streets, Mickey asked Stan to teach him how to fight in the arena. Stan agreed, and Mickey started his career as a Solaris jock.

Mickey drew a deep breath when he finally arrived at his living quarter. It was a squat apartment building in Montenegro low-income neighborhood. He ran up the stairs to the third floor and punched in the code. Seconds later the door slid open, and he sneaked into his apartment. A girl was watching TV, and Mickey sneaked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Mick! You're wet!" the girl squeeled. "Poor boy! Let me bring you some dry clothes."

"Hyolee, it's not that bad," Mickey stripped his rain coat and put it in the bathroom. "I'm fine."

Hyolee was another teen that Stan found in the street, scratching dumpster for food. Stan brought her in to help Major Tom with his needs. But Major Tom insisted he didn't need a helper, despite being constraint to a wheelchair. So Stan helped her to get a job as a waitress at Brit's Diner. Lucky for her, Stan brought Mickey in. The two hit it off, and when Mickey started earning money from the arena, he decided to rent an apartment so that she could live in with him.

"Change or you'll get cold," Hyolee handed in a towel and some dry t-shirt. "How's your day?"

"You know, we have a new member today," Mickey did as told. "Jeremy's the name, Jeremy Stewart. He's looking pretty good. Stan was to give him a test, but Mac took him over and fought him instead. That Jeremy guy sure can fight. He beat the crap out of Mac, although I think Kilroy had messed with his mech."

"Wow! Is he really that good?" Hyolee widened her eyes. "I mean, not a lot of people can beat Mac."

"You should see him," Mickey tossed his wet clothes to the bathroom. "I can tell that he has intense mech training before. I looked at his dossier, and he claimed to be the son of a kingpin somewhere in the periphery. That must be where he got his training."

"Will you be okay?" Hyolee asked, her eyes were full of concern. "Major Tom won't replace you with him, will he?"

Mickey understood her. She was worried about him being sidelined by a better mechwarrior. By nature, Mickey was not overly confident about his skill (like Mac was), so he should feel jittery, just like what Hyolee said. But for some unknown reason, Mickey didn't feel threatened by Jeremy. On the contrary, he liked the new guy already. He believed that Jeremy would be a great addition to the Ground Control stable.

"Don't worry baby," he kissed her forehead, "everything's gonna be alright."

"I love you Mickey," Hyolee rested her head on Mickey's chest. "Let me heat up some food..."

"Actually, I'm not hungry," Mickey leaned forward and kissed Hyolee passionately. "Let's just go to bed."

* * *

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**July 11, 3067**_

Stan put his legs on the coffee table in front of him, sipping his coffee while watching Jeremy's battleROM against Mac. He uttered a guttural sound once in a while, every time Jeremy made an unconventional maneuver. Deep in his heart, he admired the new kid. Major Tom was right to invite Jeremy to work for the stable. But something behind Jeremy's maneuvers made Stan uneasy.

"Good kid," Major Tom commented. "He reminds me of... us."

That was an understatement. Stan vividly remembered their days as Free World soldiers. The two were best friends, facing battles after battles as the right and left hand of a knight, one holding a sword while the other holding a shield. Sarna March 3057 saw the end of their collaboration. Major Tom's mech was shot badly, and although Stan managed to save him, the damage had been irreversible. Major Tom was permanently constrained to a wheelchair, thus ending his career in Free World League military.

Sometimes Stan blamed himself for not being quick enough to help his friend. Sometimes he blamed the FedCom for pulling the trigger. Other times he blamed Sun Tzu and his thirst for revenge. And sometimes he blamed the Free World League for being stupid enough to assist Sun Tzu at Sarna March.

"He's nothing like us," Stan grumbled. "We were good. Jeremy was... disappointing."

"Come on, Stan, he beat our best mechwarrior," Major Tom sighed.

"No, he didn't," Stan croaked. "If his _Chameleon_ worked the way it should, he was beaten by Mac in two minutes. I can beat him in two minutes. He's a typical young _mayfly_: always wants to go to the top quickly. He said he wasn't, but I can see that he is."

"Malfunctions happen every time," Major Tom replied. "Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. Blaming on the equipments for your win or loss is not fair." Major Tom took a deep breath before continuing, "However, he's hiding something. He is not looking for glory or fame or money. He's fighting for something else."

"How do you judge him that way?" Stan frowned.

"The same way you judged Mickey and Hyolee."

Stan always had a soft spot for abandoned kids. When he met Mickey, he took the kid under his wing, taught him everything he knew about fighting in Solaris, so someday Mickey could be independent. The same thing with Hyolee. The two were like children he never had.

"No, it's not the same," Stan rose from his chair. "Mickey and Hyolee were desperate kids. I brought them here to save them. Jeremy is a rich kid. He is here for his ego. Look," Stan put the battleROM player in slow motion, just as Mac blew Jeremy's arm. "Jeremy can't fight. He rushed, therefore he made himself vulnerable."

"He's young, and his judgement is different from ours," Major Tom answered. "He has a lot to learn."

"How can't you see what I'm seeing?" Stan grunted in exasperation.

"How can't _you_ see what I'm seeing?" Major Tom gave up a small smile. "Here's the deal: give him a chance. If he blows it again, we'll send him out. But if he improves, we'll keep him. That's the risk I took with Mickey when he first went to the arena. It's only fair if we give Jeremy the same treatment."

"Repairing the mech will cost us a fortune," Stan mumbled. "VEST won't be happy."

"Relax," Major Tom grinned. "We don't employ Kilroy for nothing."

* * *

_**Horziba Manor, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**July 13, 3067**_

Horziba Manor was where upper-class mechwarriors spent their money on real estate. Ultra-modern condominiums and apartments decorated the streets, and although it was not the most expensive division in Solaris, a lot of stars had a property in the suburb.

Amber Wang Chung couldn't deny that she liked hanging out at Mac's apartment in Horziba Manor. The atmosphere was perfect for getting through night. The air conditioner was superb, with perfect composition of moisture. Not to mention Mac's hot tub. And his shower. And his waterbed. And of course Mac's ingeniuous mouth kneading and stroking every inch of her skin. Boy, did Amber love having intimate sessions in Mac's place.

Amber came from Wang Chung family, a respectable lineage at Styk. She was the mech prodigy in her family even at a tender age of 15. She was an accomplished swordswoman and martial artist. She was used to spotlight. And who knows, someday she would rise and took command of a well-known unit. However, Sun Tzu invaded Sarna March in 3057. Local warlords formed Styk Commonality to resist Capellan Troops, but his father decided there was no future in it. In 3065 he took his family out of Styk to become a Solaris fighter, but quickly got killed during his early career. Amber had no choice but to follow his father's step, and she fared much better fate, surviving the arenas up to this day.

As Mac generously kissed, kneaded, licked, and made love to her breasts, Amber's lips curled into a smile. She hated Mac. She hated his guts, just like everybody else in the stable. When they first met, she was disgusted with his pomp, arrogant behavior. He looked down on everybody, including her. And he was a mafia puppet. Everything about him was against her principle.

But one day Mac convinced her to spend a night with him. Amber was pleasantly swept over to find out that Mac was gifted with hard abs, skillful mouth and hands, and exceptional stamina. The lovemaking was intense and protracted, and Amber had to muster all her martial art training to keep up with him, but nonetheless still got sore from those delightful spasms.

That experience turned her moral upside down. Now she couldn't wait to come to his bed, despite the fact that Mac was not a man of honor. Why? Perhaps it was physical attraction. Perhaps she was charmed by his sheer confidence. Or perhaps Mac was her most prolific lover to date. Amber had a number of lovers in the past, but they were pale compared to Mac in terms of satiating her and making her crave for more. She didn't know the answer. She just enjoyed the faux relationship.

Just as the flood of pleasure started to take her over, Mac tossed Amber's leg aside. He grabbed his pants in a brisk, then walked toward the counter for a bottle of gin.

"What's wrong?" Amber moaned in protest.

Mac Storm, or Mac The Champ as he wanted to be called, took a swig from the bottle, ignoring Amber's call to continue their session. He was a native Solaris, born between bloodlust and greed to be the ultimate warrior. His father died in the hands of Marcus Wilder, which was ironic because Wilder was one of Mac's heroes. But Mac never knew his father, so he didn't have a problem with the paradox.

Learning from anybody in the arena, Mac soon found out that the battle for glory and fame was not entirely fought inside Solaris arenas. Some champions and legends did not deserve the titles. He discovered that while Solaris Gaming Commission controlled the rank, it was the underground mafias that decided who was in and who was out. And Mac was a quick learner. He tapped himself onto Bertoli Mafia, one of the underground networks in Montenegro, then sat back and enjoyed his rank climbing the ladder with only minimal effort.

"You're still upset about the fight with Jeremy," Amber got up from the bed, wrapping the bedsheet around her body. "If it bothers you, then let me say this: It doesn't mean anything. Not to me, anyway."

"It doesn't have anything to do with Jeremy," Mac hissed, keeping his back on Amber. "He's just a lucky beginner. I'll get him next time."

"He's our ally now," Amber sat next to him. "Give him some slack. He deserves a better treatment."

Mac scoffed. Getting beaten by a newbie was never easy to take, especially a fresh punk like Jeremy. Worse still, and Amber was there watching him. Through his career Mac had beaten (and killed some) rookies and _mayflies_ like Jeremy. The fight with Jeremy was not an official match, but Mac had never been beaten by a rookie in _any_ engagement. Mac knew his skill was far above Jeremy's, and in a fair fight he would've killed Jeremy within a minute.

Was he afraid that one day Amber would leave him for Jeremy? And why would he care if Amber left him? Sometimes Mac wondered if his relationship with Amber was beneficial for his career. Amber was a good mechwarrior, almost as good as him, but she was just too conservative. She didn't share his vision about Solaris fame and the mafia. She slowed him down.

Perhaps it was his ego that was threatened by Jeremy.

"Come on, let's not worry about Jeremy right now," Amber tugged his hand playfully. "You're leaving me in the cold here."

"Just lock the door when you get out," Mac huffed and instead took his jacket. He scrambled out of the door and went to the street. The gin in his counter was not strong enough to soothe his mind. He needed something stronger, something that he couldn't have at home. Not even Amber.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Note:** Sorry to **stonegnome** and **cklammer** (and anybody else that got confused), I forgot to mention that this story is a continuation of _We Are Cavaliers. _That's what happens in rework: some info from the original version got lost. I will put as much information about Jeremy's past as needed, but more detail can be found on _We Are Cavaliers_. I hope this clears up a lot of things.

* * *

_**4-Cross Arena,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**August 21, 3067**_

Jeremy still remembered the first match he watched on TV channel. The image of giant robots mauling each other, complete with energetic reports by the commentators, turned him into a Solaris maniac. For the better part of his youth Jeremy watched, learnt, and followed Solaris games from regular season to the championships, from _blood pits_ to Class-6 arenas. He could memorize the stats of almost every major Solaris players. He even went as far as planning to go to Solaris VII and became one of the star mech jocks.

So after his fiancée left him, and his battalion beaten, Jeremy's first and only rebound plan was Solaris VII. If he had to start fresh, if he had to succeed in a new world, might as well start from a place he knew best. Jeremy understood the gaming world very well. He knew that success didn't come overnight, and those who thought otherwise only ended up lost and forgotten. Some of them even lost their lives. He understood that the first step toward Grand Championship was a _blood pit_ like the 4-Cross arena.

Lucky for him he didn't have to use old, obsolete mech to start with. The _Apocalypse_ was a 70-ton boxy weapon platform, with short stout legs that supported Kilroy's claim about the mech's stability. A gargantuan 6-barreled cannon nested on its right torso, and a long laser cannon made up its left arm. Each torso sported a SRM-4 launcher and a medium laser as the mech's close-range armament. It was a solid mech for a _blood pit_ match.

The new mech – with its new mechwarrior, no less – sparked the other's interests. VEST innovations always put colors in Solaris arenas, and nobody wanted to miss VEST latest work. Everybody was present in the hangar, which according to Jenny had never happened before. It was the first time that the Ground Control came together as a team.

"Technically this mech is just a loan," Kilroy smirked as he caught Jeremy's awe. "But VEST wants you to push it to the limit. They want to see what this mech is capable of. We don't have to pay anything for repair, so don't be modest in the battlefield. Take it to war, Jeremy," Kilroy signaled him. "Let's stretch its legs."

As Jeremy stripped, he observed reactions from other stable members. Strangely he got a feeling that they were more interested in him rather than the _Apocalypse_. Jenny and Stan looked calm and unassuming. The teen couple, Mickey and Hyolee, watched him with great curiosity. So did Amber, the red-haired girl. The only one that didn't seem to care was Mac. He was more interested in playing with Amber's hair, caressing her arm, and trying to make out with her once in a while. His overacting made Jeremy sick.

When he was ready, he climbed into the cockpit and strapped himself on the command couch, then pulled out a photograph. It was his engagement photo with a blonde woman, his ex fiancee that left him for another Solaris mechwarrior. Jeremy took a deep breath, dissolving the grief that suddenly embalmed him, and wondered if it was a good idea to have that photo covering his sensors. Distraction could get him killed. But that photo was more a motivator than a distraction for him. The memory of her golden hair, her velvety skin, her pursed lips, and their passionate lovemaking always gave Jeremy a lot of calm and composure in the heat of the battle.

Sadly, memory was all he had left.

Jeremy pushed the throttle, and the _Apocalypse_ reacted with smooth gait, galloping off the ramp toward the arena. The circular arena had four outlets, one for each contender. Jeremy was placed right in front of a guy named 'Flapper' in an _Archer_. On his right was a _Tempest_, piloted by 'The Don' Matrelli, and on his left was a _Marauder_, piloted by a guy named Ricky. Jeremy had never heard from them before. They were rookies and wash-ups who were - just like himself - regular contenders in a _blood pit_ like 4-Cross.

Each contender had assumed positions, and soon the horn blared. The _Archer_ immediately discharged its missiles at Jeremy. He gunned his engine, sidestepping the attack. More than half of the missiles blasted the wall behind him. The rest tried to track Jeremy down, but he brought his _Apocalypse_ to backpedal, dodging the missiles.

Jeremy put his crosshair at the _Archer's_ midsection when suddenly it was jerked forward. The 70-ton relic was too busy shooting at Jeremy to notice the _Marauder_ sneaking behind to get a clear shot at its rear. Jeremy had seen countless of fights through the HPG. He knew that soon the _Marauder_ and _Archer_ would beat each other up, and whoever won would be easy to sweep. His only real threat was the _Tempest_.

But he didn't have to find it. The _Tempest_ fired its jump jets and charged him with all guns blazing. The Gauss slug rammed Jeremy's shoulder, piercing the armor and threatened to chop off his UAC-10. Jeremy staggered to stand. He turned around and blasted his UAC in desperation. Multiple orange flashes glared as the bullets speared the _Tempest's_ torso.

The _Tempest_ bled smoke and sparks, but refused to give up. It fired its entire arsenal, burying three SRMs on Jeremy's center torso, just inches under the cockpit. Pierced armor flew to every direction. Jeremy felt his stomach churn as the missiles blasted in mini fireballs, carving a small but deep crater in his torso. The _Tempest_ followed up with its pulse lasers, but Jeremy quickly took the _Apocalypse_ away from the _Tempest's_ line of fire.

Running sideways, Jeremy guided his crosshair toward the Tempest's center. As soon as the reticule burnt gold, he fired all guns. His lasers and UAC rounds wiped the _Tempest's_ torso armor, and his missiles thrust deep into the delicate structure. Three consecutive blasts ripped the _Tempest_ from inside. Jeremy felt his chest burning with excitement as he watched the _Apocalypse's_ deadly precision. He mashed his trigger, firing several more rounds of autocannon, pushing the _Tempest_ backward.

The _Tempest_ absorbed the onslaught, then fired its lasers and dashed toward the _Apocalypse_. Jeremy ducked and dodged most of the attack, but its short-range missiles ripped open his shoulder, exposing the arm joint. Jeremy winced and turned his mech to the left. Smelling blood, the _Tempest_ fired its pulse laser again and again. Molten armor sprayed to every direction as the _Apocalypse's_ center torso turned into bubbling mush.

But the _Tempest_ miscalculated the amount of armor the _Apocalypse_ carried. It quickly reached shut down temperature, and Jeremy saw an opportunity to end the fight. He fired his lasers at the center torso, then hit his autocannon trigger. Muzzle flash accompanied a mild vibration as the barrels rotated full speed, spitting uranium-depleted shells toward the _Tempest's_ weakened armor. Tongues of fire licked from the torso, and Jeremy backpedaled to safety, seconds before the _Tempest_ roared in a fireball.

As the Tempest collapsed into a charred hulk, Jeremy inspected the battle between the other two combatants. Having 5 ton advantage, the _Marauder_ seemed to be all over the _Archer_. Its PPCs hammered the _Archer_ several times, frying the electronics the _Archer_ needed to guide the missiles. Smoke billowed from the _Archer's_ torso, and its missiles flew without coordination. The _Marauder_, combating overheating, sank critical salvos onto the _Archer_, until the mech couldn't take it anymore. The _Archer_ exploded in a fiery burst.

Jeremy knew how dangerous a _Marauder_ was. He had fought one before, and even his old 80-ton _Goliath_ had to pull miracles to survive. But this _Marauder_ had lost most of its armor and was overheating, and Jeremy knew he had to make the most of it. He sprinted forward and buried his large laser into the _Marauder's_ left torso. The left torso exploded, and the left arm clattered to the ground.

But the _Marauder_ was not done yet. It twisted and hammered the _Apocalypse_ torso with its AC5. Jeremy cringed in his seat as the _Apocalypse_ was thrown aback. The impact tore a bad gash on his right torso. Gear fluids and coolant dripped to the ground like blood. Warning messages invaded his ears, and the HUD flashed a raging alarm. The _Apocalypse_ was thrown side to side as the AC5 hit it repeatedly. Jeremy had never had to struggle that much before. A quadruped like his old _Goliath_ had enough support to withstand the vilest barrage of weapons. Bipeds were different. A single AC5 shell swayed the _Apocalypse_ like a tree blown by strong gust.

Unfortunately for the _Marauder,_ the AC5 quickly ran out of ammo, and its remaining PPC wasn't ready for another volley. The mech was still hot, which was obvious from steaming coolant. Jeremy took a moment to regain control, then launched his answer. Ballistic tracers, lasers and smoke from missiles blended into one huge spear that jabbed the _Marauder_ right under the cockpit. The _Marauder_ twisted, then careened and exploded.

Jeremy knew his opponents were not elite mechwarriors, but he still felt good about his first victory. His face was covered by a thick sheen of sweat, but it was the last on his worry list. All he cared about was he was one step closer into becoming Solaris Grand Championship, and maybe one step closer into winning his fiancée back.

"Congratulations!" Mickey was the first to greet him as he exited his mech. "That was awesome! You are a great fighter!"

"Yeah, nice move man!" Kilroy added. "You could've dodged some of the shots, but that's OK. Getting used to a new mech was always hard. You'll get them next time."

"Impressive work," Amber tuned in. "There are places you can improve, but overall not bad for your first time."

"Nah, beginner's luck," Mac rebuked unenthusiastically. "Those pilots were chumps. See if you can pull the same tricks next time."

"Alright that's enough," Major Tom came. "Jeremy, that's a good work. You may not bring home top money, but you didn't get wasted either. Now go home and rest. Let Kilroy deal with the mech."

"No, no , no, that's not the way you celebrate your first victory," Jenny quickly said. "Hangar66 is the 'mechwarrior' way to cool off after a day's work. Come on, you have to buy everybody drink."

"Alright," Jeremy replied. He shot a glance at Mac and Amber, and he knew he shouldn't invite them. Mac wouldn't be a nice drinking buddy. Mickey and Hyolee were underaged, and Stan didn't seem to be too enthusiastic about his victory. So he turned to Kilroy, "What about you? Care to accompany me?"

"Hell, why not?" Kilroy grinned. "Never pass a free drink."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**Brit's Diner, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**September 28, 3067**_

The long-awaited cash flow from winning the _blood pit_, plus bonus for killing 2 mechs, finally came to Ground Control. The advent of another moneymaker was greeted with joy. So far Mac was the only one that could bring money to the stable. Mickey and Stan lost most of the time, and their mechs required repair more than the profit they made. Amber brought home some money, but it was not enough to support the others.

Jeremy realized that his victory brought changes to the stable's atmosphere, so he decided to up the ante a bit. "I'm buying lunch," he said. "You decide where you want to go."

"Hey, why don't we go to Brit's," Mickey chimed. "Hyolee works there."

"Good idea!" Kilroy added. "We love hanging out by Hyolee's place."

"Is the food good?" Jeremy asked.

"Usual stuff," Jenny answered. "But the service is good. You know Hyolee, she likes to take care of her friends."

"Then Brit's Diner it is," Jeremy approved.

Brit's Diner offered a friendly ambience for Solarans, mechwarriors and non-mechwarriors alike. Like any other public place in Solaris City, talks in Brit's Diner were dominated by games and bets. But unlike Hangar66 or Thor's Shieldhall, customers didn't come to Brit's Diner to brag about personal exploit in the arena. Without the influence of alcohol, talks were mostly about general fights.

Of course, Jeremy asked for Hyolee to be their server, so he could leave a big tip for her. He guessed that would make her glad. Jeremy smiled and gave a courtesy nod as everybody took his or her seat. As he expected, everybody came except Mac. He understood if Mac felt a little threatened by his presence. But he never intended to be Mac's rival. He had his own plan, and it didn't include Mac. Besides it was not his fault if the other members liked him better than Mac. His good-natured attitude made them happy.

"Hey guys!" Hyolee greeted them with excitement in her eyes and big smile on her lips. "My gawd, you bring the entire stable with you today. What would you like to start with?"

As the gang ordered, Jenny came and took the seat next to Jeremy. She wore a simple tank top underneath her leather jacket that was short off her navel, flaunting her slim but muscular abs. Her spiky hair was bleached in colorful hue, mostly blonde with red and pink highlitght. Her Mydron pistol peeked behind her jacket, warning anybody not to mess with her.

Jeremy had heard many versions about Jenny's past, but none could claim definite fact. Some said she was an ex-05P. Others said Zhenzhang deGuang, Word of Blake agent, mercenary, or even Clan folk. It didn't matter for Jeremy. One thing for sure: As the security officer of Ground Control stable, Jenny fit the bill.

"Enjoying the spotlight, aren't you?" Jenny said as Hyolee got busy taking orders. "I see what you're doing here. You're establishing yourself as the alpha mechwarrior for the heavy circuit, taking it from Mac."

"What are you talking about?" Jeremy squinted. "I'm not robbing Mac. He's still the best mechwarrior we've got, and he's my partner, whether we like him or not."

"He sure doesn't think it that way," Jenny scoffed. "He doesn't care enough to join us. He thinks he's above everybody else because he's the only one that brings good money from big fights."

"Keep in mind that most of your salary comes from Mac's paycheck," Jeremy spoke softly so nobody could hear him. "He's a jerk, I agree with you, but he's not just a jerk. He's a rich jerk who fights well in the arena."

"That's about to change," Jenny stated sharply. "There' no reason Major Tom keeps two mechwarriors in heavy circuit. He's trying to replace Mac with you. As soon as he gets comfortable with your winnings, he'll let Mac go."

"Don't be so sure about it," Jeremy smiled, but couldn't help noticing Jenny's signals. "I just won one match. There are still a lot to prove."

"Modesty, modesty," Jenny leaned on his shoulder. "It may be a good thing back where you came from. But here, it'll get you killed. Have a little pomp, my friend. That's the only way to win Solaris' crowd."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jeremy replied awkwardly, pushing Jenny off his shoulder. It became clearer each day that Jenny was making an advance toward him. Jeremy had never refused a girl's advance, but he was not interested in making acquaintance. The memory of his ex fiancée still latched on his mind, and he was not ready to let it go just yet.

Just then, the food arrived, and the conversation quickly diminished, giving Jeremy a time to think. He never thought he would get approval from other members that soon. He just wanted to win one match at a time, all the way up to the Grand Championship, and he didn't expect to create controversies among his friends. But everybody already looked at him as Mac's replacement, even though Mac was still employed and arguably the biggest money maker in the stable. Perhaps everybody was just tired of Mac's attitude, so they couldn't wait to get rid of him, regardless what he did.

Perhaps that was the way it went in Solaris.

* * *

_**Hangar66, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**September 28, 3067**_

It was past midnight, but Hangar66 Bar never rested. Hangar66 to Montenegro was like Thor's Shieldhall to Silesia, and the managers strived to keep up that reputation. Mechwarriors liked to tell stories of their accomplishments in the arena. The waitresses were trained to fake interests on the stories, because the happier the mechwarriors, the more they tipped. It was mutual benefit for both parties. But for Mac, the ambience was disgusting. Even the liquor felt awful.

Since Jeremy came, Mac didn't feel good anymore. Jeremy beat him on his audition game. Although it was clear that Jeremy had help (possibly from Kilroy), he was still upset about it. Worse yet, the Ground Control crews started to worship him like a celebrity, and Jeremy bought off their affection by buying them lunch. _What a wimp_. Just thinking of the whole situation made Mac want to throw up.

Another man came to Mac's table and took the seat. He ordered his drink, then lit a black cigarrette. Mac hated the guy. If he were a mechwarrior, Mac would have challenged him in a duel, shot him out of the cockpit, and trampled on him like a cockroach. But he couldn't do it. He needed him. The man was Bertoli Mafia's best _gremlin. _Mac had known him for a long time, and knew he would get things done if he came to this man.

"Enjoying the company of a new recruit, I reckon?" the man taunted him.

"I'm cool," Mac gritted his teeth, trying vainly to hide his rage. "He won't stay long in Solaris."

"Liar," the man chuckled. "You're threatened by him. Otherwise you won't be talking to me."

"Threatened my ass," Mac started to growl. "He's a nobody. I got him good. I just have to put him on my crosshair and Boom... he's gone."

"I'm not talking about your skill. I'm talking about your red-haired girlfriend."

If Mac had a gun, he would've shot the man in the head. _How dare he bring up Amber!_ But on second thouth, perhaps he was right. Mac knew that his relationship with Amber was nothing more than mutual satisfaction in bed. And he knew that Amber felt the same way. Sooner or later the attraction would wane. The last thing Mac wanted to see was Amber hooking up with Jeremy. He knew it was just his imagination, but it could happen. She already had lunch with Jeremy. _Who knows what happens tomorrow!_

"One day you'll learn your place," Mac sneered. "Do you want this business or not?"

"Business," the man grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

"VEST loaned a new mech to Ground Control," Mac sipped his drink. "Major Tom gave it to that Jeremy crook."

"Alright," the man pulled out a notebook and wrote Mac's information. "Do you want it to look like an accident? A malfunction? Or just a blow?"

"No, no, don't kill him," Mac beamed. "Make him look bad. Leave the killing to me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**October 12, 3067**_

When Amber felt uneasy, she brought her dadao to a secluded place behind the stable after hours. The sword was her father's, which he inherited from his father, which also got it from his father. Amber didn't know how old the thing was. She just knew that flashing the big heavy sword several times always made her feel better.

The back yard of Ground Control stable was virtually abandoned, especially during dusk when most of the stable members had gone home. Amber looked around, making sure that she had the place for herself, then unsheathed her dadao. The large sword looked too big for her 5'5" frame, but Amber had the muscles to use it. She spent some moments to admire its magnificent curve, then closed her eyes to meditate. The sword felt right in her hands, like an extension of her arms, with murderous sharp edge pointing forward.

As she closed her eyes, her mind brought her back to the lunch at Brit's Diner. Amber knew the other members respected her, but she caught some of them badmouthing Mac behind her back. She understood why they didn't like Mac, but their attitude irritated her. Jeremy was just a new addition to Ground Control. Mac, despite being a total asshole, had been the primary provider for the gang for some time. He single-handedly kept the stable running, because other mechwarriors were inadequate to bring money home. How could they favor Jeremy over Mac so quickly, after everything Mac did for the stable?

Then her thought shifted to her relationship with Mac. She was in a bad position because others saw her as Mac's girlfriend, and they didn't share bad opinion about Mac with her. It alienated her from people, and she became insanely jealous to see Jeremy getting a warm welcome. Sometime she wondered if she belonged to Ground Control stable.

Suddenly she heard some steps. It was unusual to see anybody at the stable this late. She opened her eyes and saw a shadow zipped on the corner of her eyes. She clenched her hands on her dadao and posed a fighting stance. She opened her senses, trying to catch the smallest movement of the shadow. But it disappeared into the dusk.

"Mac?" she called out.

When she heard no response, she took a peek from behind the building and caught a glimpse of shadow in the distance. The shadow headed slowly toward the hangar. Slowly Amber got up and tiptoed toward the hangar. Being barefooted helped her move in stealth. The shadow didn't realize Amber's presence. He took Kilroy's power wrench and started climbing the _Apocalypse_. Amber immediately knew that the shadow was trying to sabotage the mech.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Amber shouted. "Step away from the mech!"

The shadow turned its head before throwing the wrench at her. Amber rolled to the side, dodging the wrench, then quickly raised her dadao. But the shadow had already gone. Amber closed her eyes to pick up any sign where the shadow might be hiding, but it had completely gone.

There was a brief lull, then a thump exploded in the distance. It sounded like a muffled firearm, but different. Amber didn't know what it was, but she knew something was coming at her. She threw herself, feeling a sharp wind swooshed right beside her face. The thump blasted again, and Amber sommersaulted before hiding behind a wall. Something blasted the wall with such a brute force that the splinters almost got into Amber's eyes.

"_Pukimai!_ Show yourself, you coward!" Amber yelled, fastening her grip on her dadao.

The shadow didn't respond, and there was no movement for several minutes. Amber looked around, trying to find her attacker, but the hangar was as quiet as when she first came. Amber didn't know if anybody was still at the stable, but even if there was, she didn't want him or her get into her situation. The shadow obviously knew what he was doing.

Quietly Amber reached for her comset, then called Mac. As the comlink established, she whispered, "Mac, where are you? I am at the stable. Somebody..."

Suddenly she heard that thump again. Reflexively she dropped her comset and raised her dadao to block the attack. A second later something hard hammered her dadao, so hard Amber almost lost her grip. She quickly got up, but she felt a twinge in her abdomen. She looked down to inspect it and saw a slender dart was buried on her stomach.

Amber didn't know what it was, but she knew it was poisoned. She pulled the dart out, but the poison had seeped into her blood stream. She started feeling lightheaded. Then she lost control of her muscle. Her dadao felt heavier by each counting second, and finally she had to drop it. Her leg muscles shook hard to support her own body, and in the end, she stumbled.

With her remaining power, Amber tried to reach for her comset, but her vision had tunneled down into darkness. She gave one last struggle to raise her head, then surrendered to the drug.

* * *

_**Horziba Manor, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**October 13, 3067**_

Mac was viciously awakened by the sound of his comset. It was close to dawn, and he wondered who might call him at that hour. His guessed was Amber. Maybe she wanted to explain why she didn't spend the night at his place. Mac spat in disgust. When she missed her usual arrival, Mac quickly assumed the worst. She must have been having good times with Jeremy, he thought. So he picked up a girl from the bar and had a wild night together.

Picking up his comset, Mac went to the kitchen so he wouldn't wake the girl up, but more importantly to hide the truth from Amber. As a matter of fact Mac didn't have to do that. If Amber was cheating with Jeremy, he had all the rights to cheat with anyone he wanted. But somehow he sensed that Amber did not sleep with Jeremy, and he didn't want her to know the truth just yet.

Mac punched the receive button, and was quickly disappointed to see the _gremlin's_ face on the screen. "What are you doing, calling me at home?" he snapped, lowering his voice down so the girl in her bed couldn't hear him. "Don't you have a job to do?"

"The job's done," the Bertoli _gremlin_ croaked through the speaker. "But you forgot to tell me that the wee hour was still occupied. Or are you playing a game with me? If you're screwing me up, Mac, I'll kill you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mac hissed. "Nobody is there after sunset!"

"Are you saying you don't miss this?" the _gremlin_ chuckled. Mac's HUD screen flickered, then an image of Amber popped up. She was tied to a chair, her mouth was gagged with a piece of cloth, and her eyes fluttered incoherently as a result of the drug. "She's an extra work, Mac. The price just doubles. I want the money in my bank account by noon tomorrow, or you'll never see her again."

Mac remembered he received an incomplete call from Amber, but he never cared what it was. He should have checked on her, but his mind screamed 'betrayal' long before he could think of Amber's safety. He took a deep breath, trying to find a way to get around the _gremlin_ and free Amber, but he didn't know anything about the hitman. He was cornered, and it seemed that the only thing to do was to pay the ransom.

"I don't have that much money, bu my next big fight is next month. You'll get your money by then," Mac growled, covering his mike when he hissed, "you bloodsucking _frakker_."

"One month, Mac, not a day late," the gremlin's eye twinkled. "Until then, you just take a good night sleep, or pick up some random chick from Hangar66… like one in your bed."

Mac's mouth opened but the gremlin disconnected the link before Mac could say anything. Mac slammed his fist into the wall, letting go of his frustration. Taking care of Jeremy turned out to be a much expensive work than he had imagined, and now Amber fell into the _gremlin's_ hand. With frustration he went back to bed. He still had 2 hours to have sex with the girl, and he needed it to get rid of his frustration.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_**LaserClasm Arena,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**October 30, 3067**_

LaserClasm arena was a large circular dome with 6 hangars. Several cables suspended a multi-lens laser pointer high at the top of the arena. It was the only source of light; the 6 combatants fought in total darkness. When the match started, the laser pointer sprayed colorful beams that turned the concrete circular wall into a gravitti canvas. That was where the name LaserClasm came.

This arena was larger than the one Jeremy fought in, with 6 combatants each match. The quality of the combatants also increased. The highest ranked mechwarrior was a guy named Freeze, ranked 5 in heavy circuit. He would enter the match in an _Exterminator_. Next down was some Harold, ranked 14 in a _Champion_. The rest were lower-ranked mechwarriors, a guy named Abdul in a _Dragon_, a girl named Ludmilla in an _Orion_, and an unranked girl named Priss in a _Paladin_.

Jeremy couldn't wait to start. He had studied the background of each combatant, and barring unusual event he should roll through this match. The gambling odd backed up his conclusion. While he was still unranked, his odd was 8-to-1, the third among the six. People had started noticing him, and some already expected him to win.

As Jeremy brought his mech out of the hangar, his comlink flashed. He knew that somebody was trying to make an alliance, most likely the lower ranked mechwarrior. This happened a lot in Solaris arena, especially if the mechwarrior thought he wouldn't have a chance winning the fight. Jeremy thought making coalition would benefit him against the higher-ranked mechwarrior so he clicked the communication button.

"Kid, I saw you fight in 4-Cross," a female voice echoed in the speaker. "You're not gonna last in this battle. I'm in the _Orion_ on your right. If you don't shoot me, I don't shoot you. We'll talk about who's gonna leave this arena when we finished everybody else."

Jeremy smiled as he listened to the mechwarrior's arrogant call. He knew he could win this match even without the help of the _Orion_. But alliance would help him reduce damage. At least one mechwarrior wouldn't try to snipe him from the back. "Alright," he sent his reply. "I will watch your back if you watch mine."

Soon the fight started with the sound of the horn, and the _Dragon_ right in front of him quickly made a dash at him. The _Paladin_ on his left turned and attacked him but the _Orion_ launched its missiles, stopping the morbid-looking mech on its track. The _Champion_ took some time to pick its opponent, but in the end it trained all weapons on the _Exterminator_, which was the most dangerous combatant on the dome.

So Jeremy had to worry about the _Dragon_ only. He quickly scanned the ancient mech, and his computer revealed that the _Dragon_ was an old 1G design. Smiling with confidence, Jeremy pushed his mech forward to get into range. At 600 meters he fired his large laser, which bored the _Dragon's_ midst. As the Dragon staggered groggily, he throttled up until his cannon tracker lit up in green, then mashed the trigger.

Much to his chagrin, the mammoth gun wouldn't fire. Jeremy punched the trigger furiously but all he could get was a weird whirring sound. The giant gatling gun wouldn't even rotate. He tried to recalibrate the gun, but it only made things worse. Now the UAC-10 went completely offline.

"Dammit! Kilroy, my autocannon is jammed!" Jeremy tried to reach his tech, but all he heard was static.

The _Dragon_ got enough time to take a solid lock on Jeremy, who stood like a fool in the middle of the arena. Missiles hammered the _Apocalypse_ left side, followed by ricocheting cannon rounds. Jeremy's mech trembled as it sustained the impact. The stocky legs kept everything under control but he lost a good half-ton of armor on the left side.

"Stupid weapon! Work, dammit! Work!" Jeremy relentlessly trying to get his cannon online, but he got nothing in response. Desperate, he turned his mech to the right, exposing the unscathed armor toward the _Dragon_, then fired his large laser. Once again the bright red beam stabbed the _Dragon_ in the center, which now glowed in orange hue.

But the _Dragon_ had better advantage in long range. Its missiles pummeled Jeremy's right torso. Its autocannon belched and ripped Jeremy's armor on the leg. The calculated shot slammed into the _Apocalypse's_ reverse joint. The impact was so loud Jeremy thought the leg snapped.

Without the UAC-10, Jeremy knew he had to get close to bring the double SRM-4 to bear. So he pushed his throttle to maximum and fired his laser. The _Dragon_ sidestepped his attack, but that maneuver put it in a bad position. Jeremy swung left and torso-twisted as far as he could, then launched his missiles. Half of them struck the _Dragon_ dead center, pulling off cracks on the weakened armor. Traces of smoke twirled from the gap.

The _Dragon_ took several back steps, then anwered the attack with its lasers. One bolt hit Jeremy's right arm, but the armor stopped it cold. The other flew harmlessly above his head. Undaunted, the 60-tonner followed up with its autoncannon, but the rushed attack went miserably wide.

Running full speed, Jeremy saw a window to deliver a crippling blow. He reversed direction, causing the _Dragon_ to walk past its firing arc. As the _Dragon_ tried to compensate, he lined up his crosshair with its center torso. Still backpedaled, he waited until the _Dragon_ got its footing, then fired all lasers. His bolts burnt the last slab of armor, and as the _Dragon_ coped with the loss of mass, he sank his missiles at the glowing chest of the _Dragon_. His warheads torched the gyro, and the _Dragon_ tumbled backward.

For some reason the _Dragon_ wasn't recognized as Jeremy's kill, but it was the least of Jeremy's concern. Standing on his right flank was the _Exterminator_, arguably the best mechwarrior in the arena. Obviously it survived the _Champion_, although the burn scars on its body showed that the victory was not an easy one. Nevertheless it was a very dangerous enemy for Jeremy.

Jeremy initiated the aggression by firing its large laser, but the _Exterminator_ sidestepped it. Jeremy was careful enough not to fire too much. He turned to the left and circled the _Exterminator_ waiting for the mech to return fire. The _Exteminator_ fired its long-range missile. Jeremy took some hits, but he didn't get much damage. He made a hard right and fired his missiles. The _Exterminator's_ AMS took down most of them. Undeterred, Jeremy fired his medium lasers. One hit the leg of the _Exterminator_, but the armor stopped it.

At less than 300 meters, the _Exterminator_ fired its medium lasers, 2 bolts at a time. The refractory period of the medium lasers enabled it to hit Jeremy every 1.5 seconds. Jeremy's armor quickly diminished, and his HUD showed he would get critical hit if he kept getting hit like that.

Jeremy exasperatedly flicked his UAC trigger, but the gun was as good as dead. He knew it wouldn't do any good for him, so he put his mech in full speed and aimed it toward the _Exterminator_. The _Exterminator_ tried to flinch, but Jeremy managed to catch it and rammed his right shoulder at the _Exterminator's_ torso. The loud crunch and the vibration made him dizzy. His gun thrust into his engine and exploded. He lost half of his arsenal.

However, the _Exterminator_ received equal damage. The whole front structure caved in damaging its gyro. The lanky mech staggered hard to stand, but the damaged gyro made it move slowly. It tried to shoot Jeremy, but missed because of the vibration.

Jeremy tried to shoot but the _Orion_ came from behind him and fired at the staggering _Exterminator_. The damaged gyro prevented the _Exterminator_ to dodge the attack. Missiles ripped the reactor casing. The _Exterminator_ rocked back and forth before falling backward, then exploded in brilliant color.

"Good team work," the girl on the _Orion_ called. "Now only the two of us left. Nice working with you kid, but business is business."

The _Orion_ turned around and fired its autocannon at Jeremy's torso. The canopy glass broke and pieces of plexiglass flew everywhere. Jeremy covered his face as the alarm blared out of control. Smoke obscured his vision. The _Apocalypse_ trembled and shook to sustain the attack.

Luckily the main generator was still functioning, so Jeremy pulled his mech up and fired his large laser. The bolt struck the _Orion_ on the left arm where the missile launcher was stored. The arm breached and the _Orion_ careened to the left. The pilot wasn't skillful enough to compensate the loss of mass, so the _Orion_ fell in a loud crash.

Jeremy quickly fired his remaining guns at the fallen _Orion_. Most of them hit the ground, but a couple of missiles hit the right torso. The armor had been shredded on the previous engagement, and the two missiles cracked the shielding open. The engine exploded and took the cockpit with the pilot in it.

Jeremy leaned on his couch, taking several deep breaths. He won the match although his mech was shredded to pieces. If his UAC worked, he wouldn't have to sustain that many damages. He knew Kilroy did a good job maintaining his mech, so he was anxious to know why his primary weapon malfunctioned.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**November 2, 3067**_

Major Tom scratched his head. First, he had not seen Amber for weeks. Then, Jeremy's _Apocalypse_ malfunctioned in the arena. Luckily the new kid could pull it through. Kilroy had run a thorough check on the _Apocalypse_ and hadn't found a single problem with the mech. Now he was in talks with VEST to figure out the cause of the malfunction. Major Tom didn't know why, but he had a feeling Mac was involved in the two events.

Major Tom played with the thoughts for a while when somebody rapped his door. He knew who it was. "Come in, Mac."

"What can I do for you?" Mac asked apathetically, as if he knew where the conversation was headed.

"Where's Amber? I haven't seen her for a while," Major Tom didn't waste time to ask.

"How the hell should I know? She's a big girl with a big sword. She can take care of herself."

Major Tom shook his head. He didn't know what Amber saw in this man. "Look, Mac, she's been missing for days. You're her closest companion, but you don't look like you care about her. Added with your ties to the Bertoli Mafia, anybody can draw a conclusion that you're responsible for her missing."

"Yeah, OK, pin this on me!" Mac spat. "It's always the boyfriend, isn't it?"

"Then what's your excuse?" Major Tom pressed his anxiety. "Do you know what happened about the _Apocalypse_ on the last fight?"

"Why do you ask me?" Mac shrugged while walking toward the door. "Ask the damn tech!"

"Mac! We are not finished!" Major Tom hollered.

"I am!" Mac returned fire.

Major Tom watched Mac disappeared behind the door. He paused a moment, thinking of what he should do next. He always discussed any hard situation with his best friend Stan. And as if his best friend could read his mind, Stan came in.

"I heard your conversation with Mac," Stan stated coldly. "He didn't care about his own girlfriend, did he?"

"I think he's hiding something," Major Tom replied. "I have a feeling he knows something we don't. That's what I want you to find out. Take Jenny with you and ask around. There has to be somebody in this town that knows what happened."

"Easy for you to say since you're not the one who do the asking," Stan grumbled. "Where is Jenny? I haven't seen her all day."

"I don't know," Major Tom rolled toward the window. "Strange things happen here lately. Why don't you check on her place?"

* * *

_**Sandway Building, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**November 2, 3067**_

Jenny flipped through the TV channel without any particular interest in the shows. Most of the shows were arena fightings, and Jenny was not in the mood of in-depth analysis. The rest of the shows were politics or dumb soap operas. Their kissing and intimate scenes weren't even realistic.

It had been weeks since Jeremy joined the stable, and Jenny couldn't get him out of her mind. She never felt strongly for anybody before. Sometimes she imagined Jeremy's whiskers tickled her skin, but behind their sharp raggedness hid his soft, tender lips. His slim but hard muscles added the sweet sensation. Before long, Jenny leaned on her couch, touching her own lips with her fingers, imagining it was Jeremy's lips that touched hers.

The thought about Jeremy completely occupied Jenny's mind. She slouched on her couch and closed her eyes, ignoring the stupid show on the television, and savoring the delight of Jeremy's kiss. Her hands glided down to her neck, but in her imagination it was Jeremy's lips kissing her delicate skin. Jenny started to feel heat surging through her body.

Just then, her door buzzed. Grumbling, Jenny got up from her couch and answered the door. Stan stared at her, bedazzled by her flustered face and labored breath. "What are you doing here at this hour?" he asked. "Am I interrupting something?"

Jenny's face turned redder, realizing that Stan might've overheard her releasing her tension. "I'm... uhm, exercising. What do you want?"

"Amber has been missing for sometime," Stan explained, observing Jenny's couch and some wet stains on it. "Major Tom thinks she's in trouble, and I tend to agree with him. He wants us to start searching for her."

"Major Tom didn't know what he's asking for," Jenny sighed. ""As far as I'm concern, she's probably home with Mac screwing each other brain's out. Do you come this far just to tell me this?"

"You can talk bad about Mac anyway you want, but Amber is our friend," Stan blurted. "She had a high morale standard and good work ethic. I'm going out for her, and I need your help."

Jenny sighed and stared blankly on the TV screen. She hated to admit that Stan was right. Amber was a respectable mechwarrior, and she needed help. "Alright, I go with you," Jenny finally made up her mind, "but only if Jeremy goes with us."

"Jeremy?" Stan mumbled, then shook his head. "Why Jeremy?"

"Look, Montenegro is a big place," Jenny put on her jacket. "I suggest we start from Bertoli Mafia, and we're gonna need more than four hands. Jeremy can help, and he's willing to help. He shows good sportsmanship, and we ought to give him more opportunities in stable business."

"What on Blake's word are you talking about?" Stan held Jenny's arm. "The kid is bad news for the stable! I'm not going with him!"

"Then I'm not going," Jenny yanked her arm from Stan's grip. "If Jeremy doesn't go, I will not go."

Stan couldn't understand why Jenny asked for Jeremy. They were going on a delicate mission, and he would not trust a newbie. Jenny should not either. If he had to take another personnel, he'd go for Kilroy. The tech didn't have any military training whatsoever, but Stan trusted him. Jeremy… he was new, and Stan didn't even like him.

But Stan realized he didn't have a choice. Jenny was the best person to do this job. The girl had extensive infantry training in her past, and she had proven her loyalty to the stable many times. Taking Jeremy with him was better than not going with Jenny at all. With a heavy heart, Stan knew he would have to agree to Jenny's term.

"If he screws up the mission, I'll have your head," Stan fizzled. "And certainly his."

"I guarantee you that he won't," Jenny winked. "I'm on his ass."

* * *

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**November 2, 3067**_

It was late, and Jeremy was half asleep when a vicious knock banged his door. He came to the door and opened it, thinking it would probably be Mickey or Kilroy. His eyes widened as he saw Stan and Jenny on the door, and his hand reflexively covered his boxer. He felt his face reddened as Jenny stabbed a sharp stare at his boxer.

"What are you doing here this late?" Jeremy stammered.

"Dress up," Stan said curtly. "We're going to get Amber."

"What? Is she in trouble or something?" Jeremy blabbered.

"Where have you been? She's been missing," Jenny explained. "Major Tom thought that she was kidnapped by the Bertoli Mafia. Maybe Mac owed them money, and they used her to press him."

"So we don't know for a fact if she's kidnapped or not," Jeremy replied while putting his shoes on. "This is just Major Tom's conclusion about everything that happened recently. You know, Amber's disappearance and stuff..."

"If you don't want to go, fine, go back to your bed!" Stan hissed.

"Hey, I'm helping you guys, but we have to have a solid plan!" Jeremy growled. "Come on, we need more than Major Tom's insight! Do you want to search the entire Montenegro? What if Amber's decided not to come to Ground Control anymore? Don't you think this is a bit rushed?"

"Amber's not Mac," Jenny explained. "She has a code of honor, and she'll tell us if she's moving out. I'm telling you, something's happened to her. For a start, we're going to visit Sutter Warehouse. That's where the Bertoli Mafia resides. If she's not there, we'll ask around. Somebody must have heard something." Once again Jenny looked at Jeremy from head to toe. "I reckon you had some basic infantry training, did you?"

"I do you one better," Jeremy reached under his bed and drew a katana. "Intermediate ninjitsu."

"Pfft..." Jenny chortled much to Jeremy's chagrin. "What are you, Mary Sue? Put that thing away!"

"Do you want to wake up the entire mafia with firearms?" Jeremy was a bit upset. "This blade is quiet, efficient, and doesn't need ammo like your Mydron!"

"Dude, seriously," Jenny drew another Mydron from her ankle and tossed it to Jeremy. "You have 15 rounds. Use it wisely. And keep your steak knife in the kitchen."

Jeremy took Jenny's Mydron and put it at the back of his pants, the slung his katana over his shoulder. "I'm taking it with me."

"Kids!" Stan snorted and shook his head. "Jeremy, stay behind me. Let Jenny and I do most of the work."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_**Sutter Warehouse, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**November 3, 3067**_

The dawn was breaking, and the warehouse complex was still asleep. Only a small number of thugs with Rorynex SMGs roamed the warehouse, waiting for the sun to come out and their shift end. If it was not because of them, it was impossible to imagine that this complex housed one of the leading underground mafias in Montenegro.

Behind the bush in front of the complex, Stan, Jenny and Jeremy crouched silently, observing the thugs that loitered about like busy bees patrolling their hive. The darkness gave them advantage, but they took their time. They knew they had at least 1 hour before the sun came out.

"I see three guards on the front," Jeremy whispered. "Another one smoking at the left side."

"Take out the three and snatch the smoker?" Jenny suggested.

"Right," Stan nodded. "I'll take the one on the left. You get the one in the middle. Jeremy," he shot a firm stare, "take out the right one. Do not make a sound."

"Relax," Jeremy snorted. "I know how to do this!"

Stan led the three crawled out of the bush. He hadn't crawled on the ground since his days at Free World army, and he felt his joints were rusty. Fortunately, Montenegro was saddled with large areas of abandoned industrial districts, and Sutter Warehouse was no different. Industrial wastes littered the ground, and the mafia never cared to clean them up, and Stan easily moved from debris to debris, taking advantage of the darkness.

The smoking guard suddenly decided to quit and joined the guard on the left, the one Stan supposed to attack. Now Stan had to deal with two guards instead of one. He cursed, realizing how much fight he had to put up to knock one out and disable the other. In his glory days, he might be able to do it. But now, he was way past his prime. He had to find a way to do it.

Stan's military mind kicked in. If Jenny and Jeremy attacked first, the two guards might get distracted. It would give Stan a second to launch his attack. But if he was late, Jenny and Jeremy would get hurt. He didn't care much about Jeremy, but he didn't want Jenny to be harmed. The painful memory of him dragging Major Tom out of his burning mech quickly came back and tortured him. No, he couldn't let it happen again.

But Stan saw no other choice. Jenny and Jeremy were in much better shape than him, and they had to fight only one guard. He needed that diversion. He needed that extra second. Stan scanned the area and watched Jenny and Jeremy in position, ready to attack. Reluctantly he gave the signal to Jenny, while preparing himself.

Quick as a cat, Jenny jumped out of her refuge and landed a hefty kick to the unsuspecting guard in the middle. The black-suited man flew some feet behind and crashed into a garbage can. The guard on the right widened his eyes in surprised, but Jeremy leapt and swung his sheathed katana at the guard's head. Blood sprayed from the man's nostrils as the katana's handle ruptured his nose bone. He staggered to keep standing, but Jeremy followed up with a back kick to his jaw. With a loud crack the man stumbled to the ground.

The two guards in front of Stan quickly readied their sub-machine guns, but Stan jumped as fast as he could, then slammed the butt of his pistol at the back of a guard's head. The guard sloshed to the ground as if his bone turned to mush. The last one, the smoking guard, turned at Stan but Stan's pistol was already pointing at his forehead.

"Drop it," Stan hissed between panting. "Drop your gun."

The guard dropped his Rorynex, just as Jenny and Jeremy arrived. They helped Stan drag the guard back behind the bush. Stan took some time to regulate his breathings, then shoved his pistol under the guard's chin. "Where's the girl?"

"What girl?" the man cringed.

"I don't have time for a game," Stan cocked his gun. "I'll ask you again..."

"You're not gonna shoot me," the guard grinned. "Your bang will wake the entire complex. You'll have to deal with the entire Bertoli clan."

"Ah," Jeremy unsheathed his katana, "then you have to deal with this." He pressed the tip of the long blade on the guard's belly. "Your scream will wake the entire complex, and we still have to deal with the rest of you. But you... you'll have to pick up your guts..."

"Alright, alright," the guard caved. "I don't know what you're talking about, but we don't do hostages here. Hired _gremlins_ do that kind of works."

"Give us the name," Jenny interjected.

"Are you kidding me? There are dozens of them!" the guard bemoaned.

"Which one deals with Mac Storm?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know the name, but he's the best hire," the guard replied. "90 West and 210, The Wasteland."

"There. Was it so hard?" Jenny winked, then butted her Mydron at the guard's head, knocking him unconscious.

"I told you this would come in handy," Jeremy smiled while slinging his katana back on his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, big deal," Jenny took the guard's Rorynex and tossed it to Jeremy. "Here, use this. Give me back my pistol."

Stan looked at Jeremy and wondered why he couldn't like the young man. He was efficient in and out of a mech, and he got along fine with the rest of the stable members. Maybe he was being prejudiced about Jeremy's past as some kind of an heir to a periphery warlord. There was something about Jeremy that he didn't like, and he didn't know what it was.

"The Wasteland," Stan said, referring to the deadly abandoned industrial area of Montenegro. "Stay sharp, people. This is gonna be tight."

* * *

_**The Wasteland, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**November 3, 3067**_

Amber felt her head was about to explode. She didn't know where she was. She lost track of time. All she knew was this hideous headache. Every time she felt better, some guy put something in her vein that made her head throbbing with pain. She couldn't even open her eyes. Her lids felt like bricks.

Today was a little better. She could see blurred images inside the room. It was a typical room with scattered things... some things... everywhere on the floor. She could see things, but she couldn't see what they were. And she could see that she was not alone in the room. A dark shadow walked back and forth across the room.

_Was it the same shadow that she saw in the stable? _Amber couldn't tell. She vaguely remembered what happened, but she could remember that she was fighting something... somebody... inside Ground Control hangar, before everything turned into a haze. Amber started to recall things, but she was too weak to sew everything into a solid event.

Then something rang. It must have been a comset or a telephone line. Amber heard the shadow picked up the receiver and talked, "Yeah... hm... hm hm... what? Am I compromised? Damn... alright!"

Amber knew that voice. She had heard the male voice before, but she didn't remember when or where. The man slammed the receiver and rushed to do something... she couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear bangs and things being knocked over and something heavy getting dragged across the room. She tried painfully to open her eyes, but all she could see was shadows zipping left and right.

Suddenly a large glass exploded, and something like a door blasted. Machine gun rattles echoed in the room, while something like a large-bored pistol barked intermittently. Ricochets reverberated all over the place, and Amber could tell even more things got knocked over.

_What the hell is going on? _Amber fought her headache and opened her eyes, watching three more shadows hoping around with muzzle flashes, while the fourth shadow moved erratically from corner to corner. It jumped from one corner and attacked a man carrying an automatic weapon with 3 consecutive kicks. The man blocked two of the kicks, but the last hammered his knee. A loud crack ensued, followed by the man's agonizing cry. He dropped to his knee, and the shadow sent its fist into the face, sending the gun-wielding man to the ground.

Another shadow lunged and fired a punch at the shadow in the middle. It ducked hard to avoid the attack, then got up and scored a good jab at its attacker's solar plexus. The attacking shadow doubled in pain, and the shadow in the middle grabbed its collar then swung its club-like fist into the man's temple. The shadow teetered in its feet before slumping to the floor.

Yet another shadow fired its gun 3 times. Amber heard the shadow in the middle groaned, but it managed to recoil to its right and sank an elbow into its attacker's ribcage. A muffled scream escaped the shadow's mouth, and Amber heard a female's voice. The male shadow fired a hard knee into the female shadow's face, sending her crashing to her back.

The sudden burst of action awakened Amber a bit, and now she could see things a lot better. The shadow in the middle was a tall man in dark apparel, while the other three wore lighter clothings. One of the light shadows got up and drew some sort of a long, thin blade. This shadow was clearly the leader of the pack. His move was more precise, more accurate than the other two. It swung its blade, but the dark shadow picked up another blade and blocked the attack. The sound of the blades bashing each other roared.

The light shadow retracted its movement and stood with its blade pointing forward. The dark shadow lunged and swung hard. Its blade was bigger and heavier, and the impact almost threw the light shadow off its feet. The dark shadow attacked again, and the light shadow was pinned on the wall. The dark shadow raised its feet and decked the light shadow with its knee. Amber heard a painful groan, which she assumed coming from the light shadow. It slumped to the ground, and the dark shadow raised its wide blade to make the final thrust.

_Should I cheer or should I be afraid? _Amber didn't know which one was the good guy and which one was the bad one. Perhaps both were bad guys who were fighting over something. She didn't know it for a fact, so she blinked several times to get a clear view. Her vision went better and better, and now she could see that the dark shadow was a bald man, while the light shadow on the ground had long mullet. But she still couldn't see their faces.

The bald man thrust hard but the mullet guy blocked the attack with his thin blade. Again a loud clang echoed, followed by grunts and intelligible curses from both men. The mullet man kicked the bald man's knee, sending him spiralling into a cupboard. As the mullet man dragged himself up, the bald man came back and made a hasty swing. The mullet man blocked the attack while pivoting, then thrust his thin blade into the bald man's midst.

Amber heard a muffled gag as the thin blade went through the bald man's back. The bald man shook and trembled while trying to grasp the mullet man. The mullet man retracted his blade and made a wild swing. Amber saw a lot of fluid splattered onto the wall, before the bald man fell to the floor.

_Now what? _Amber watched the mullet man leaned on the wall, taking several breaths, before helping the other two get up. She heard a lot of 'Are you OK' among the three, then the mullet man approached her. Amber didn't know if he was going to kill her or release her, so she tried to find a better look at the man's face. It wasn't necessary. The man held her shoulders and put his face closer to hers, until Amber could see his face clearly.

"Jeremy?"

"Hang in there, girl," Jeremy used his long blade to free her. "We'll get you out of here."

That was the last thing she remembered. Her effort to follow the action scene was too much for her weak body. She lost consciousness as Jeremy and the other two shadows hauled her out of the place.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_**Indrahar Hospital, Ishiyama,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**November 3, 3067**_

Mickey held Hyolee's hand as the two rushed toward the end of the corridor. An influx of doctors and interns and patients seemed to push them back to the elevator, but the two resisted, swimming upstream in the human flow, until they reached the room at the end of the corridor. Jenny and Jeremy were waiting outside.

"My God!" Hyolee uttered, seeing the big dark blotch on Jenny's bridge. "Are you alright?"

"Eeehh..." Jenny shrugged. "This is just a scar. It's annoying, but it'll get better in several days."

"And Amber?" Mickey added. "Is it true that she is held for ransom by the Bertoli mafia?"

"It appears that way," Jeremy confirmed. "We found her on the deadly slum of Wasteland, in an abandoned complex. The guy that held her hostage – presumably the same guy that kidnapped her – was a Bertoli hired _gremlin_, and we have a confirmation that he worked for Mac too."

"Oh my god," Hyolee murmured. "What will happen to Mac?"

"Major Tom and Stan are dealing with him," Jenny explained.

"Is Amber fine?" Mickey asked Jeremy.

"So far so good. No internal damage, just dehydration, malnutrition and drug abuse. It seemed that the _gremlin_ drugged her for weeks with only minimal water or food. But that's just a report from the interns. We'll know for sure if we can talk to a doctor."

"So no doctors yet?" Mickey mused. "Just interns? Are they good?"

"Yeah, they're good, theyr're just a little... quirky."

"Seriously?" Hyolee asked.

"Seriously!" Jenny scoffed. "Indrahar is the best around here, but the service is below par."

"What happened to the _gremlin_?" Mickey wondered.

"Let's say he won't give us any more trouble," Jenny replied while making a slicing gesture across her neck. "Jeremy took care of him." She looked at Jeremy, "I must say I'm impressed with your performance. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Back home," Jeremy grinned. "Never bring a knife to a gunfight, I know, but when all fail, a blade is better than an empty gun. Just like today."

"Yeah, yeah, you can gloat," Jenny smiled. "You deserve it. Wanna grab something to eat?"

"Sure," Jeremy said, then turned to Mickey. "Can you stay here for a while? When you see those quirky interns, don't let them go. Make them talk, or ask for the doctor. We want the opinion of a professional."

"You can count on me," Mickey replied in gusto. "Just go eat something."

"Wow, imagine what will happen to Amber if Stan, Jenny and Jeremy didn't come for her," Hyolee, commented, trying to look inside the room. "I wonder who wants to hurt Amber. She's sweet and honorable."

"Mac has a lot of enemies," Mickey tried to make sense of the situation. "Some of them may try to get to Mac through her." He put his arms around her. "Let's just hope her nightmare ends here and now."

"Yeah," Hyolee purred as she leaned her head on Mickey's shoulder.

* * *

Mac was on his way to see Amber when Stan intercepted him in front of the hospital gate. Looking at Stan's eyes, he knew that he was in for a major showdown. He admitted he underestimated Stan and Jenny and – most disturbingly – Jeremy. He never thought that the three could find Amber, given the reputation of the _gremlin_.

But Mac wasn't worried about Major Tom or Stan. They were just pansy-ass stable owners. The _gremlin'_s demise would open a can of worm for the Bertoli Mafia. Mac's collaboration with the _gremlin_ happened behind the mafia's back. Mac had been using the _gremlin's_ greed to do his dirty work, and although he didn't hurt the mafia's business, they would see him misusing the mafia's asset. And now, the _gremlin_ was dead. The mafia would gun their engines toward him.

"We haven't finished our conversation," Stan said as Mac tried to get into the hospital. "And now, there are new findings that we need to discuss."

"What conversation?" Mac scoffed. "You and I had never had any conversation. You never care for the truth. You just take the easy path, and that easy path is I am guilty because of what I do. Worse, you never want the truth because you hate me."

"The truth is," Stan blurted, "we mentioned your name to Bertoli Mafia, and it led us straight to Amber. What do you say about that, huh? Still deny your involvement in this mess?"

"There's nothing you can prove," Mac sniggered curtly. "You're just fishing in the muddy water. Go ahead, bring it to the police. What are you gonna tell them? That I kidnapped my own girlfriend? What for? Money problem? I have more money than all of you combined." He spat on the ground. "You and your kind make me sick."

By looking at Stan's body language, Mac knew that he succeeded in pushing him back. But the battle was far from being won. Stan moved toward him, undaunted by his tirade, and ground his teeth, "Your service to Ground Control stable is no longer needed. You have 24 hours to vacate your place, and leave Amber alone."

"You?" Mac replied with a derogatory chuckle. "You don't have the power to fire me."

"Major Tom is with Amber," Stan hissed. "Do you want to take it up there?"

At this point Mac knew he had lost Amber. Major Tom had probably poisoned her mind with the fact that Mac was responsible for everything. And she already saw Jeremy as her _knight in shining armor_ that saved her from evil spirit. The two would probably screw each other's brain out as soon as she got out of hospital. No, Mac didn't care about it anymore. He just couldn't bring himself to look into Amber's eyes.

"So it's Jeremy now, isn't it?" Mac huffed and walked away from the hospital. "I don't need you, but you can't survive without me. Let's see if Jeremy can fill in my shoes."

* * *

Amber opened her eyes to the sound of steady beepings. She was still dizzy, but she could see things in the room. It took her a while to figure out that she was in a hospital. She looked around until she found Major Tom sitting next to her. Upon seeing his assuring face, Amber knew she was safe.

Pieces of memory started piling up in her mind, filling the gap between the hangar incident and now. She remembered having a practice alone, then somebody tried to sneak into the hangar. It was hard to remember what he was trying to do, but she remembered the guy climbing up Jeremy's mech with Kilroy's wrench…

_Oh, no,_ she thought. _Jeremy's in deep trouble_.

"Major Tom," she whispered. "Don't let Jeremy go to fight. Somebody is trying to sabotage his mech."

"I know," Major Tom said. "He went out and his gun jammed in the arena. But he was a good mechwarrior. He still won the match."

"Was he hurt?" Amber tried to get up.

"No, he was fine. Kilroy is trying to figure out who might have done it. He suspected it was the work of a professional." Major Tom took a deep breath before continuing, "But what's done is done. Nothing we can do to change the past. Just forget about everything and rest. You've gone through a lot."

"If only I could stop that bastard," Amber exhaled. "Who wants to hurt Jeremy that bad?"

"I'm afraid we'll never know," Major Tom shook his head. "Jeremy killed him before we know anything. All we knew was the guy used to work for Bertoli Mafia."

"Jeremy," Amber closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Mac didn't come with him, did he?"

"No, my dear," Major Tom held her arms. "Only Stan, Jenny, and Jeremy."

Amber tried to hold her tears, but inside she cried a river. She knew her relationship with Mac was only physical, but it would be nice if Mac cared for her just a little bit. She didn't' ask much; just when she really needed someone, she hoped he was there for her. The fact that Mac wasn't in the search party made her believe that she was no more than a sex toy to him. It made her felt cheap.

"I'm tired," Amber sighed, swallowing her sobbings. "I want to be alone."

Major Tom understood what she felt. He made a gentle tap on her arm, then glided out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**December 17, 3067**_

Mac's departure from Ground Control stable created mixed reactions. Kilroy and Jenny accepted the fact with absolute bliss. Mickey and Stan were pretty much apathetic about it. Amber, who had been discharged from the hospital, didn't really appreciate the firing. She wasn't taking Mac's side; she was more worried about the future of the stable. So far, most of the money came from Mac's winning prize.

Jeremy didn't know how to react. On one side he was glad Mac left the stable. Mac's attitude was destructive for stable's morale, and his departure would accelerate Jeremy's own ambition: to win Grand Championship. On the other hand he had the same opinion with Amber regarding the stable's future. A drastic change might actually hurt the stable.

Major Tom called for general meeting to discuss the current events. Everybody had been speculating about the sabotage which led to Amber's kidnapping. It was time to clear up the matter.

"VEST confirmed that the _Apocalypse_ was indeed sabotaged," Kilroy reported. "Initially I blamed myself for missing it on the final checkup before Jeremy went to battle, but after seeing it in detail, I didn't feel so bad. It was a very smart work, and I can surmise that the culprit had extensive training in battlemech technology."

"This guy was a professional working for the mafia," Stan added. "Amber caught him red-handed when he was doing his job. That's probably the reason why he kidnapped Amber, although…" he paused briefly, choosing his next words carefully. "I don't understand why he didn't kill Amber instead."

"Blackmailing?" Jenny stated. "All evidence points to Mac. I think Mac hired the _gremlin_ to hurt Jeremy. Then maybe the _gremlin_ tried to blackmail Mac using Amber. Why… only heaven can tell."

"Good thing he's done," Kilroy blurted. "You may think Mac is the backbone behind Ground Control. But his attitude is poisonous to the stable's health. It's like cancer that eats you from within."

"Don't forget that this cancer has been keeping you alive," Amber grumbled. "His winning prize is what you have been eating for so long. So don't badmouth him yet. You don't know what the future brings without Mac."

"Where was he when you were in danger, Amber?" Jenny tuned in. "Did he do anything to get you out of harm? No, he didn't do squat. Why are you still defending him?"

"I'm not defending him," Amber scoffed. "I don't know what he did to me, and honestly, I don't really care. But I know for a fact that he supports the Ground Control. Our supplies come from his fundings. Our salaries partially come from his winning reward. It's a bit disturbing for me that you forget about that fact."

"We'll be okay without Mac," Mickey stated. "We have Jeremy."

"Now don't count anything on me yet," Jeremy replied tactfully. "I have been here only for months. A road to the championship is long and hard. Either you have to have a big support, or you have to be really... _really_... good. Mac does have a big support. I don't, so it'll take a while before I can achieve Mac's level."

"How do you know so much about Solaris?" Jenny asked.

"I am a big fan of Solaris games," Jeremy sighed, recalling his past as a Solaris-crazed teen. "I read the biographies of Solaris aces. I watched a lot of games. I studied the tactics and maneuvers of Solaris legends. I had been here in spirit long before I was here in reality, if you know what I mean."

"And that justifies you becoming a Solaris mechwarrior, I reckon," Stan sneered.

"No!" Jeremy retorted. He didn't know why Stan made such a big deal about him being a Solaris mechwarrior. Perhaps it was time he told everybody about his real motivation. Perhaps the story about a devious ex-Solaris mechwarrior stealing his fiancee would garner Stan's sympathy. But in the end he restrained himself. Nobody needed to know about Evee and their ill-fated betrothal. "I'm here because this is what I want. I'm here because this is what I'm good at."

"Well, now is the time to prove it," suddenly Major Tom came gliding on his wheelchair. "This just came in. Jeremy and Mac have been invited to fight a wild-card match at The Factory. The Solaris Gaming Commission is impressed with Jeremy's performance. If he's in top three, he'll be eligible for heavyweight championship."

"What! That's great!" Kilroy jumped. "See? We don't need Mac!"

"Before you go there," Jeremy interjected, "it's too early to put me in Mac's position. I've never been in a major game before. Let's not put too much hope in this development, and let me work it out."

"Don't be too modest," Amber said. "You work hard and you deserve it. If you need a sparring partner, I'm available."

"You're not completely healthy," Major Tom quickly snapped. "Don't put too much pressure on you body yet."

"I'm fine," Amber replied. "And I'm bored. Come on, give me something to do besides resting."

"Alright," Jeremy agreed. "Is tomorrow OK? We can take the _Chameleons_ for a mock combat."

"Tomorrow's fine," Amber nodded. "I'll be right here."

"Good then," Major Tom turned to Jeremy. "You need all help you can get, because one thing's certain: Mac's going to come to you, all guns blazing. As for the rest," he concluded. "Let's keep our eyes open for any suspicious behavior. We don't want it to happen again."

As everybody left, Jenny caught up with Jeremy. "So?" she lightheartedly asked. "How does it feel to be a big timer?"

"For God sake, Jenny," Jeremy cringed. "I'm not a big timer yet. I will have to prove it that I belong there with the big boys. I even have to prove that I can beat Amber tomorrow. After Mac left, she is the most skillful mechwarrior around, isn't she?"

Jenny's face quickly turned sour. "Be careful hanging out with her. She was Mac's girlfriend, and maybe she still is. The mafia might have had their eyes on you through her."

Jeremy was taken aback by the drastic change in Jenny's tone. "You don't trust her, do you?"

Jenny gave him an intense stare. "She sleeps with a dirty mechwarrior. Do you think she's not corrupted by Mac's extravagant lifestyle?"

"I don't know," Jeremy squinted. "She seemed like a cool mechwarrior. Geez, Jenny, relax a bit!"

"Hey, we like you, OK?" Jenny replied. "We all like you. We don't want you to get hurt by Mac, Amber, or the mafia. We don't want you to be Mac either. There are a lot of easy ways to get money and fame, but it will not grant you respect and satisfaction."

"Look, I had money," Jeremy stated. "I had fame. I had everything you can only dream of. I left them all behind because I want to be a Solaris Grand Champion. So don't you worry about me getting seduced by the mafia. I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself."

Jenny looked at Jeremy for some time, trying to decide if she wanted to continue arguing or let it go. In the end she decided to trust Jeremy. "Alright, I trust you. But still, I don't like this sparring idea. Who knows what's in her mind."

"I'll be alright," Jeremy said assuringly. "I survived a match with half of my arsenal malfunctioned. Surely I can handle Amber in a mock combat."

* * *

_**Hangar66, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**December 17, 3067**_

Losing a job was not a real concern for Mac. Ground Control stable was just a formality. Independent mechjocks were usually ganged-up on in the arenas, because more often than not they were rookies. The absence of a stable was similar to put a big bullseye in the front of the mech. However, with his reputation, it shouldn't be too hard for Mac to find another stable. If nothing else, he could always find a job outside Solaris. Mercenary units like Rasalhague Raiders or Vigilante Guard would be glad to hire him. Getting fired by the Ground Control wasn't worth drinking.

Losing his place to Jeremy Stewart, on the other hand, was a very big deal.

The periphery kid came to Ground Control and took everything like a storm. He beat Mac in his audition, although Mac admitted it was partly his mistake. He underestimated Jeremy. Then Jeremy stole everybody's attention using his cutesy face. Then he survived weapon malfunction. Then he saved Amber, which ultimately brought Major Tom and Stan to the decision.

_Screw it!_ Mac thought as he chugged the remaining liquor in his glass. Losing Amber to Jeremy was the hardest blow he received. Not that he loved her or anything, but she was his trophy. Mac was the best sex she had ever had. She sobbingly confessed to him after Mac screwed her brain out all night long. But Jeremy planted the image of a _knight in white horse_ in her mind. Women were never satisfied by sex alone. They wanted affection, conversation, understanding, and a million other crap they demanded from their men. Amber had never been that kind of woman, but she had never met Jeremy before.

_Damn Jeremy! Damn him all to hell!_

Three men came and sat next to him. One of them was a little fat guy that Mac recognized as one of the Bertoli Mafia family members. The big ugly guy next to him must have been his bodyguard. Mac had never seen the other one, although he could guess his intention was.

"That hillbilly kid turns your world upside down, doesn't he?" the fat guy croaked curtly. "I've never seen you this bitter before."

"What the hell do you want?" Mac snapped, ignoring the sarcastic humor. "You want me dead? Then just finish it right here, right now. Otherwise, leave me alone."

"This is Mr. Omar," instead, the fat guy pointed to the man Mac didn't familiar with. "He owned a stable before, but some Davion assholes destroyed it."

"The Wildcats, yeah," Mac flashed a small smile. "I've heard about that stable. You should've been very careful playing with Lyrans or FedSuns. They are full of trickeries, and they'll use them to take what matters to you. You know, typical rich feudal people."

"The bottom line, is, Mr. Storm," Omar grimaced, swallowing Mac's insult, "I'd like to get back into it again. I need good mechwarriors. You seem to be a good candidate for my resurrected stable."

"You fight under Omar's new banner, and you'll get yourself a ticket to Marik Tower," the fat mafia guy added. "Sixty percent of your winning goes to Omar, the rest is mine."

"You bloodsucking _frakker_," Mac hissed. "You take advantage of people."

"Take advantage of you? Are you blind or stupid?" the mafia guy cackled. "You have a chance to kill that hillbilly kid, a chance you won't get if you step into Marik Tower as an independent mechwarrior. I can arrange an 'easy' fight for you if you agree to my term."

In a normal situation, Mac would spit on the mafia offer. Money was one of few things that kept him fighting in Solaris arenas. But his desire to kill Jeremy had overcome his common sense. "I'll do it this once," he replied. "I will kill Jeremy Stewart, and I'll make you rich because of that. Afterwards, I want renegotiation."

"You should've been in Solaris Gaming Commission," Omar smiled. "Your negotiation skill will take you far beyond everything you can imagine."

"No thanks," Mac got up and left his table. "I just want Jeremy Stewart dead."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**December 18, 3067**_

The _Chameleons_ were warm and ready when Jeremy came to the hangar. Kilroy, Jenny, and Amber had been waiting for him, and Amber was already in her cooling vest. Determination gushed out from her eyes, illuminating her expressionless face. Jeremy heard stories about her piloting skill. She was almost as skillful as Mac behind the cockpit. Jeremy had seen how Mac fought, and he had an idea how good Amber was.

However, Amber's uncladded body parts took the most of Jeremy's attention. She had a taut and well-trained body. He could see muscles hiding under her yellowish skin. Her maroon hair dangled on her naked shoulder, and her upper left arm was decorated with a tattoo of Chinese characters.

"Alright, I set up your mechs to freeze at 50-percent damage," Kilroy briefed Jeremy and Amber, giving Jeremy a playful wink. "This time it's real. No one gets an advantage. This is a mock combat, but it's live ammunition you're firing. Be gentle with head shots."

"Thanks, Kilroy," Amber replied shortly, then walked to one of the _Chameleons_.

"Remember what I said about her," Jenny commented as Jeremy followed Amber with his eyes. "She might be planning a retaliation for Mac. If you think she's acting funny, quit the combat. I'll grill her ass."

"Jenny, nothing is gonna happen," Jeremy donned his cooling vest. "Please, I can handle this."

Without waiting for Jenny's reply, Jeremy climbed his _Chameleon_. He strapped himself on the chair and tucked his engagement photo on his HUD, something that became a pre-fight ritual for him. As Amber walked out of the hangar, Jeremy looked at the blonde girl on the photo for some time, remembering the good days where he sank his face in the girl's lush hair. He could still smell her shampoo.

"Alright, Jeremy," Amber spoke through the speaker. "The Factory arena is different than any _bloodpits_ you've fought on. There are a lot of obstacles that you can use for hiding, but if you don't watch where you're going, you can get stuck and make yourself vulnerable. The temperature is hotter than normal, so watch out for overheating. And sometimes you'll see aces. They are trickier to deal with..."

"Why are you helping me?" Jeremy interjected while taking his position in front of Amber. "We barely know each other, and others had put me in Mac's place. Shouldn't you resent me instead?"

"I don't like to see Mac being replaced by you, but I know how to pay my dues," Amber replied. "I have never said thank you for saving my life, so regard this as my appreciation. Why? Are you scared that I may take revenge?"

Jeremy felt his ears burning. Jenny almost made him believe that Amber was on a vengeance trail. As a matter of fact, Jeremy should've known better. Amber's dossier showed that she had high moral standard. So far she showed admirable resistance toward the mafia's offer. He felt ashamed of himself, and started to feel suspicious about Jenny's attitude. Everybody hated Mac, but why should Jenny have a grudge against Amber?

"I appreciate it," Jeremy said while turning his weapons on. "So we're even after this fight?"

"If that's the way you want it, then it's fine by me," Amber replied. "Are you ready?"

"Ready when you are," Jeremy grinned as his thumb grazed the trigger. "Eat this!"

The rattling sound of Jeremy's machine guns echoed through the plain. Amber's _Chameleon_ staggered a bit, more surprised than hurt. The bullets ricocheted on its left torso. Jeremy followed up with his medium lasers, but Amber deftly made a small jump and landed on Jeremy's blind spot. Before Jeremy could react, Amber's small lasers turned his torso armor into glowing smelter.

_Damn, this chick is good_, Jeremy winced. He realized that Amber held herself back. She could've seriously hurt him from his blind spot, but instead she just slapped him with small lasers as an answer to Jeremy's cheap shot. Jeremy quickly grew respect for her, and he showed it by raising his arm and walking backward. "That was a cheap shot, and I apologize," he said. "Let's start again."

"Don't apologize," Amber replied while jogging in circle. "You need some dirty tricks in the arena. Just be mindful that some aces may have antidotes for your tricks."

Once again Jeremy felt his face reddened. Everything Amber did was venerable so far, which was contrast to her realationship with a Solaris scum. He took a deep breath, regained composure, and focused on Amber's movement. "Alright, here we go," he said, warning Amber before he made his move. "Take this."

Jeremy fired his large laser, expecting Amber to dodge it. She lurched to the right, letting the beam flew past her head. Jeremy quickly reversed directions and shot his medium lasers. One strand busted Amber squarely on the chest. Amber tried to shake it off, but the loss of mass put her _Chameleon_ out of balance. She skidded and flung her arms to prevent her mech from crashing.

_I got you now,_ Jeremy lined up his crosshair, but Amber twisted and fired her large laser. Jeremy wasn't quick enough to evade it. The bright red beam grazed his left shoulder. Molten metal splattered onto the hangar wall, and Jeremy yanked his joystick backward. His _Chameleon_ jerked behind, swiveling wildly to get a clear shot at Amber. But Amber had left her position, jumping out of Jeremy's line of fire.

"That's a grade-A Solaris movement," Jeremy gave her a nod. "Where did you learn that stuff?"

"Here and there," Amber replied, stabilizing her mech as she touched down. "I was a Styk Commonality paramilitary before Solaris. Styk army combined Liao's and Davion's best moves and created their own formula. And of course Mac lent me some of his fancy maneuvers."

"Why are you seeing Mac?" Jeremy got nosy. "You don't look like someone that shares his principles."

"That's none of your business!" Amber's voice became sour as she launched a vicious attack. Her medium lasers drilled two caves on Jeremy's armor, and her bullets ricocheted on his plexiglass. Jeremy didn't expect that attack, and he reflexively crossed his arm on his face. Amber followed up with her small lasers that cored the scar on Jeremy's left shoulder. His armor sizzled and dribbled, and his HUD flashed a warning. One more shot like that and Jeremy could lose his medium lasers.

_Stall her! Stall her! _Jeremy's mind raced to find a solution to Amber's assault. He hit his jump jets, just as Amber shot her large laser. The timing couldn't be better. Amber's laser sailed harmlessly underneath his legs. Jeremy answered with his own large laser. The red beam slammed into Amber's waist. The armor glowed in red as Amber staggered. Jeremy fired his medium lasers, but Amber used her own jets to dodge the attack.

"You seem to care a lot for Ground Control stable," Jeremy forced his mech to backpedal. "Mac supported this stable financially, but destroyed its morale in the process. His attitude created an uncomfortable atmosphere for everybody, especially Kilroy. Don't tell me you don't see it, so color me curious: why did you date him?"

Amber landed and took a fighting position, but restrained her mech from launching another assault. "It just happened," she said. Her tone turned much softer. "We met, he liked me, I hated him, but he persisted. We slept together, I still hated him, and he didn't have much respect for me either, but we were great together. Although there's not enough stuff to maintain romance, we give each other plenty in bed. Satisfied?"

"You know," Jeremy decided to tell Amber the truth, "Stan, Jenny and I raided Bertoli Mafia to find you. We mentioned Mac's name to a thug, and he led us straight to you."

Amber didn't reply. She burst into the open and fired half of her arsenal. Jeremy cringed but he was not fast enough. Amber's large laser burnt a slab of armor on his center torso, and her machine guns punched pockmarks at the molten armor. As Jeremy reeled, she blasted the rest of her weapons, turning Jeremy's front armor into overheated mush.

Jeremy teetered under the assault, and watched in panic as his damage level crept toward shut down condition. He knew Kilroy set up the _Chameleon_ to shut down at 50-percent damage, and even if he had a full-blown _Chameleon_, he wouldn't cheat Amber. He fired his weapons without a hard lock at Amber, just trying to ward her off, risking overheating in the process. Heat spiked past half the shut down threshold, and the waste heat started making him sweat.

"What about you?" unexpectedly Amber spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to be Solaris Grand Champion. This is what I want to be."

"Yeah, right, I dont' buy that. A rich boy like you will not leave your land, your money, your comfort back home, to start a new life as a prizefighter. Don't insult my intelligence, Jeremy. I told you my skeleton in the closet. You owe me yours."

Jeremy knew he couldn't possibly escape from Amber's inquiry. He could find another lie, but he didn't want to do it to Amber. He looked at his engagement photo, reclining in his command seat as painful memory washed away his desire to fight. "There's a girl. A magnificent girl. The most beautiful girl I've ever met. Evee, that's her name. Evangeline Ridinghood. We were set to get married last year, but a Solaris jock stole her from me. A smug, pompous, pain-in-the-ass mechwarrior, just like Mac."

"And he's a decorated mechathlete, I suppose," Amber added.

"Champion in 2 divisions, runner up in the other two," Jeremy grunted. "The only thing he hasn't won is the Grand Championship. That's what I'm here for. I have to be the Grand Champion of Solaris, so I can get Evee back. I'm gonna prove it to her that I'm better than that bastard she ran away with. Satisfied?"

"So she ran away with a bastard," Amber quipped, "and you're still trying to get back with her?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jeremy grimaced. "How dare you judge me!"

"I don't mean to tell you how to live your life," Amber positioned her _Chameleon_ in the center of the field. "But sometimes a second pair of eyes is what you need to get you back on track. You're sweet, you're hot, and you have a great future. Your ex should've felt lucky to be chosen by you. But she chose another man with big Solaris winnings. I don't see how your ex is a good match for you. If she can't appreciate you for what you are, maybe it's time to forget her."

Just like Amber a minute ago, Jeremy didn't answer. True, Amber was screwed up. Jeremy didn't know where to begin if he had to comment about Amber's life. But for a screw-up, she gave a very good advice. Amber's suggestion hit a nerve. Evee hurt him and lied to him; why was he still obsessed about her? Why would he chase a shallow girl that got blinded by trophies? Did he have some dignity left? Amber was right. Maybe he should forget Evee and try to find somebody that loved him for who he was, not what he did at Solaris.

Jeremy turned his _Chameleon_ to put Amber's in his crosshair. He raised his arms to singe Amber's mech, but she was one second faster. Her entire arsenal peppered Jeremy's center torso. Acrid smoke seeped into the cockpit, and klaxon blared into his ears. Before Jeremy could react, his _Chameleon_ went into shut down sequence.

"Aw, crap!" Jeremy grunted.

"You can't afford to lose focus in The Tower," Amber's voice rang loud and clear. "You've got to keep moving, especially against Mac. He's an excellent shooter, so if you freeze, you're done."

"I know," Jeremy sighed in defeat. "I got distracted."

"Hey, you started it," Amber snorted.

"I did, and I am sorry," Jeremy replied. "I would love to have another session with you. You are a more advanced mechwarrior than I am, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you will share some of your skills with me. Of course, it'll be on your time schedule."

"I'll check with Kilroy when the _Chameleons_ will be good for practice again," Amber replied. "I will not bring up personal stuff again if you do the same. This time, it'll be strictly business."

"Sure," Jeremy opened the hatch, letting the cooler air seep inside, then climbed down the _Chameleon_. He gave Amber a quick nod, then left the field.

Jenny tried to catch up with him, but Jeremy shot a stern look, signaling her that he had enough for today. He knew what Jenny was going to say, and he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to blow off his chance at Marik Tower with some silly distractions. Today's mock combat showed opened his eyes about focus and determination, and he had a long way to go.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_**Marik Tower, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**January 13, 3068**_

It was the game that Jeremy had been waiting for. Sixteen combatants would fight to grab three wild card places at the heavyweight championship. Colorful battlemechs with unorthodox weapon arrangements galloped in pomp, as if each one of them would be the champion of today's match.

Gruelling days and nights training with Amber prepared Jeremy for this event. Also Amber shared some of Mac's tricks with him. It gave him a considerable sense of security, almost like the feeling that Mac couldn't hurt him. His old photo on the HUD rejuvenated his hope that one day he would win back his lost love. _This is it, __sweetheart_, he whispered alone. _I'll win this match for you. I'll bring home the Grand Championship just for you._

"Alright, everything is set," Kilroy gave him the last check up. "This is the biggest game anybody had since Mac. We're very proud of you, kid. Now go get them, tiger! Go get the glory and money! Watch out for Mac's alpha strike. His _Black Knight_ has tremendous firepower, and he's a terrific shooter…"

"But mediocre mover, I remember," Jeremy nodded. "Thanks for your support, Kilroy."

Kilroy gave him a thumbs-up, then sealed the hatch. Jeremy closed his eyes and pondered Kilroy's words for a moment. If winning this match didn't do him any good, at least it would give the Ground Control stable some hope. He had been too engrossed in his own quest to realize everything was not always all about him.

* * *

Mac's ties with Bertoli Mafia rooted back to early 60's. He enjoyed quick rise in rank, but never got to benefit from the money he got from the match. Most of them went straight to the mafia's bank account, and although he could afford a fortune just from the kill bonus, he always wondered how nice it was if he could own everything.

But mostly, Mac had forgotten how nice it was to be free. Bertoli Mafia decided who won and who lost a match, and Mac was nothing more than a puppet to them. Now the mafia had given him freedom to do whatever he wanted in the arena, Mac was the king of his own. However, he had just one thing he wanted to do.

"There you are, you little prick!" Mac sneered as Jeremy's _Apocalypse_ popped up on his radar, halfway across the arena. "There's nowhere to hide. I'm gonna kill you this time."

The horn blasted, and Mac took a quick aim at Jeremy, only to get his mech rattled from the left. An _Avatar-A_ picked him as its first prey. Half of the AC20 rounds went wide, but those who connected almost tore Mac's left arm apart. A dozen missiles rushed to hammer his left side, and Mac had only a second to twist and divert the impact to his front armor. Some missiles still raked his left arm, but the bulk of the attack was stopped by his front armor.

"Bastard!" Mac spat. He linked his two lasers and drilled the _Avatar's_ right torso. As the 70-ton omnimech swayed to keep centered, Mac slugged it with his PPC, right where his lasers botched a second ago. Lurching left, the _Avatar_ recentered its crosshair but Mac fired his Gauss rifle at point blank range, slugging its left torso.

The impact sent the _Avatar_ sprawling, but the AC20 belched fire, spraying submunitions in a wide angle. Some caught Mac in the shoulder, and although they were not strong enough to do damage, they were powerful enough to push Mac's _Black Knight_ behind. Mac grunted as he watched his armor tracker turned yellow.

Mac knew that he had to dispose the _Avatar_ quickly before he took too much damage. His left-arm armor couldn't take anymore AC20 hit. So he linked all weapons and fired his alpha strike at the _Avatar's_ midst. One laser bolt carved a hole in the _Avatar's_ center torso, but the PPC and the other laser cored a deeper crater on the _Avatar's_ left torso. Sparks bled from the wound. The _Avatar_ tried one more desperate maneuver, but Mac was ready. As soon as his Gauss rifle blinked green on the screen, Mac let loose his slug. His nickel-ferrous ball hammered the _Avatar's_ left torso. The weakened armor caved in and torched the stacked up missile. A furious fireball ripped half of the _Avatar's_ body. Jagged splinters rained down on Mac's _Black Knight_, but Mac backed his mech up, away from the raging fire that ate the remaining body of the omnimech.

* * *

At the other part of the arena, Jeremy had his own problem. A _Cataphract_ and a _JaggerMech_ tried to sandwich him in a crossfire. Ballistic rounds zipped left and right, and his entire effort had been evasive maneuvers. Ferro-fibrous splinters flew to every direction, reducing his armor into shredded layers.

Desperate for release, Jeremy pumped his engines, bringing his _Apocalypse_ sprinting between the two collaborating mechs. The _JaggerMech_ quickly followed his move, while the _Cataphract_ chose to swing around and ambush Jeremy at the end of the arc. But Jeremy was not to be outdone. He showered the _Cataphract_ with his UAC-10, stopping the 70-ton mech on its track. As he made a pass, he gunned his missiles, pressing his attack on the _Cataphract_.

The _JaggerMech_ sneaked behind his back uncontested, and sacked a deadly salvo of autocannons. Jeremy's console wailed in protest as the _Apocalypse_ staggered. Jeremy knew the _JaggerMech_ was far away from his firing arc. The only possible solution was to use the _Cataphract_ as a screen.

The _Cataphract_ regained balance and fired its autocannon, but Jeremy swung right, putting the _Cataphract_ between the _JaggerMech_ and himself. As the _JaggerMech_ stopped firing, he unloaded all weapons on the _Cataphract's_ kneecap. A burst of flame enveloped the _Cataphract's_ leg, followed by a sickening groan. The reversed-jointed leg locked in its place, rendering the _Cataphract_ immobilized. The mech twisted and writhed furiously, trying to get Jeremy on its firing arc. But Jeremy nested snugly behind, away from its firing arc, while sinking lasers, missiles, and autocannon rounds into the _Cataphract's_ back at will.

The _JaggerMech_ took a wide swing to flush Jeremy into the open, but Jeremy expected that move. He turned backward, bringing his mech moving in reverse behind a concrete wall. The _JaggerMech's_ bullets blasted the wall but the concrete was thick enough to withstand the punishment. Jeremy continued his course to the other side of the wall, slugging the _Cataphract_ as soon as he had a clear shot.

A nearby _Penetrator_ had just ousted its opponent, then saw the immobilized _Cataphract_. Wasting no time it unloaded its lasers at the _Cataphract's_ back, wiping out the remaining armor. The _JaggerMech_ saw the _Penetrator_ as the bigger threat than Jeremy. It left him alone and turned to engage the larger mech. Jeremy used this opportunity to slip behind the walls and escaped.

* * *

Within 5 minutes of intense action, the number of combatants had been reduced to half the original number. Once again Mac locked on Jeremy, but it was not time yet. A crippled _Shootist_ blocked his path, confident in its own mind that it could take on Mac's pristine _Black Knight_. Its lasers stabbed Mac's torso, washing away another ton of armor. Its autocannon barked, sending murderous shell at Mac's _Black Knight_, but went almost a meter off its intended mark.

Mac had a taste of an AC20 shell five minutes ago and didn't intend to get it the second time. He put his crosshair at the _Shootist's_ left arm and blasted away. All his energy bolts seared off the AC20 clean. A burst of sparks and smoke filled the void where the cannon was a second ago. Losing a lot of mass, the _Shootist_ careened to the left, and Mac found the perfect time to slug it with his Gauss rifle. The metallic ball blasted the _Shootist_ in the midst, and the 70-ton mech toppled behind.

Mac didn't want to over-beating the _Shootist_, but he had to make sure it was dead. He didn't want anybody decked him from behind when he was fighting Jeremy. So he brought his _Black Knight_ closer to the downed _Shootist_ and stepped on its head. Metal, glasses and blood sprayed from under his feet. Assured that the _Shootist_ was not a threat anymore, Mac set his eyes on Jeremy and gunned his engine.

Jeremy's strategy was to stay away from major engagement, a strategy he performed with great success in the blood pits. He had to save armor and ammunition for a showdown with Mac. But when he saw a _Falconer_ and a _Nova Cat_ pounding each other, he couldn't resist taking a pot shot, hoping to get two easy kills. The extra money for killing opponents in the arena was quite lucrative.

* * *

The _Falconer_ and _Nova Cat_ were equally matched and no one wanted to back off. Each time the _Falconer_ scored a crippling hit, the _Nova Cat_ returned fire with its own. Smoke, sparks, and tongues of fire covered almost all parts of the two mechs. But the pilots showed incredible spirit and continued circling each other while firing their remaining guns, hoping vainly that their enemy would fall or concede first.

Jeremy waited patiently for an opening, then saw a small window in the _Nova Cat's_ defense. He pumped his UAC-10. The long stream of ballistics cored the _Nova Cat's_ torso, slicing internal structures like butter and cracked the reactor shield. Three consecutive explosions staggered the Clan mech, followed by blue plasma. A second later the _Nova Cat_ exploded in brilliant colors.

The _Falconer_, standing too close to the _Nova Cat_, took a severe pounding when its Clan-made opponent exploded. Both arms breached and fire raged uncontrollably. Somehow the pilot managed to stay inside the blazing cockpit, but the _Falconer_ had nothing left to offer. Jeremy hit his trigger, sending a long stream of ballistics straight into the _Falconer's_ midst. It didn't take long for the 75-tonner to explode.

As the second explosion subsided, Jeremy inspected the arena. There were only 4 mechs left. On his right he spotted a crippled _Lao Hu_, limping away from the center of the arena. Not far from it was a relic _Flashman_ with only its left leg remained attached. They wouldn't cause him any problem. The third one was Mac in his _Black Knight_. As Jeremy expected, it had some battle scars but was overall in good condition.

Jeremy knew what was coming, and he tightened his grip on his joystick.

* * *

Mac didn't expect to see Jeremy in the same condition as the _Lao Hu_ or the _Flashman_, but he was surprised how good Jeremy looked. Before the match Omar told him that the mafia bribed two mechwarriors to gang-up on Jeremy. The fact that Jeremy was still standing in battle-worthy condition told him that the periphery kid was not to be underestimated. _Amber must've taught him well_, he thought. The thought of Amber brought back his bitter imagination. Well, it would end today, because Mac would not let Jeremy leave Marik Tower alive.

Mac fired the first round. His lasers formed twin red javelins that stabbed Jeremy on the left shoulder. As Jeremy careened, Mac sent his PPC across the arena, hoping to chop Jeremy's head in a single hit. His PPC sailed harmlessly over Jeremy's head, due to the fact Jeremy crunched at the right moment. Mac readied his Gauss rifle, but Jeremy beat him, moving away from his crosshair.

Mac knew Jeremy had skills, but he didn't expect Jeremy to beat him moving. Amber was the only one in the stable that could do that, and the thought of Amber spilling his secret to Jeremy made him madder. He quickly backpedalled while realigning his crosshair, but Jeremy's UAC-10 strafed every inch of his front armor. It was not a fatal attack, but Mac's front armor had been weakened from previous engagement. Twisting groan of cavitated metal filled his ears, and his armor tracker dipped down to orange.

_He knows my flaws_, Mac cursed. _That bitch Amber must've leaked my trademarks to him. I'm gonna kill them both!_ His blood boiling, Mac dug deep into his memory to find any maneuver that he hadn't revealed to Amber. Any move that Jeremy couldn't possibly know and anticipate. Jeremy's UAC-10 kept on pressing him, firing in short burst, while continuously moving away from Mac's firing arc. Mac could wait until Jeremy ran out of ammo, but his _Black Knight_ didn't have enough armor to withstand Jeremy's punishment.

As his armor tracker turned dangerously red, Mac prepared to gamble with death. He let Jeremy sank another good salvo which rattled his cockpit. Then he fired his PPC. Jeremy flinched and slid further left, but Mac cut him off with a mad right twist. His gyro screamed in protest, and the entire cockpit trembled, but Mac kept his maneuver. His gamble paid off. Amidst blaring sign of gyro damage, his crosshair lined up perfectly with Jeremy's torso. With a quick flick on the trigger, he unleashed hell.

* * *

Jeremy didn't remember if Amber ever taught him that move. It was something completely out of the blue, something only a great fighter could muster in a hard-pressed situation. Mac, like it or not, was a great fighter, and Jeremy started having some respect toward him, but it would have to wait. He twitched his joystick to the left, seconds before Mac's Gauss slug blasted his right torso. Before he recovered, Mac's twin lasers drilled that spot, melting armor and structures, blowing a massive hole on his right torso.

Yanking his joystick to regain balance, Jeremy fired his UAC-10 wildly, trying to keep him off target. But his shots went astray, and Mac dodged most of them. He took a half squat and fired his PPC. Jeremy yanked his joystick hard but he was too late. The azure beam incised his right torso. The explosion afterward almost threw him off his seat. The entire right arm spun in the air before hitting a wall.

Jeremy knew he had lost the match. He needed some extra seconds to compensate his loss of mass, and unfortunately, it was the same seconds Mac needed to prepare his alpha strike. The only option was to fire every weapons and hope one of them pull a miracle. Mac's front armor was damaged, and maybe one fortunate hit would disable or destroy the _Black Knight_. It was a long shot but doable.

As the _Apocalypse_ twitched and turned, Jeremy fired his missiles in desperation. But the missiles sailed harmlessly past Mac's head, who already took a steady stance. The _Black Knight_ raised all weapons and blasted its guns. The massive jolt and screeching signals told Jeremy that there was nothing more he could do to save his mech. Jeremy just covered his head as the _Apocalypse_ careened backward, ending in a loud crash.

How exactly his mech didn't explode under Mac's onslaught, Jeremy didn't know for sure. But as he opened his eyes, terror greeted him: Mac's _Black Knight_ made a dash at him. Jeremy looked in horror, knowing that Mac was disregarding all warrior decency and trying to stomp on him. He had only a split second to exit his mech before Mac's feet buried him inside the cockpit. He reached the lever under his seat and yanked it hard. A stream of steam covered his face, and the next thing he knew, he was outside rolling on the ground.

_He's mad! He's trying to kill me!_ Jeremy quickly got up and ran as fast as he could. His heart beating twice the normal rate, and his lungs burnt with acrid smoke. But Jeremy couldn't stop. He stripped his cooling vest for swifter move, and sprinted toward some debris. He heard Mac's foot thundering behind him, and he threw himself to the right, seconds before the _Black Knight's_ foot blasted the ground. A cloud of dust and debris covered the area, and Jeremy used it as a screen to slip beneath the remains of a battlemech, praying that Mac didn't see him.

* * *

"Where are you, filthy worm?" Mac grunted, painfully waiting for the cloud of dust to subside. He had Jeremy on his sight, but he was too impatient to wait until Jeremy reached an open field. He missed stomping on him, and now the dust cloud provided a cover for him. Mac switched to his IR mode, but the burning debris all over the arena hampered his IR vision. Mac just had to acknowledge that he had missed Jeremy.

"Well, I hope you choke on ferro-fibrous vapor," Mac turned his _Black Knight_ to deal with the _Lao Hu_ and the _Flashman_. The two didn't stand a chance against Mac's fury. When the horn sounded the end of the fight, Mac took another look at the arena, wondering if Jeremy was still there. He didn't feel that he had avenged his loss until he killed Jeremy, but for now, he had to settle with that.

Then, he still had a score to settle with Amber.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
Freedom Theater, Lyran Commonwealth,  
January 15, 3068**_

The dark, stuffy, unkempt backyard of Ground Control stable had been Amber's favorite place to practice Wu Shu. Nobody visited the place after hours, so Amber could clean her mind while concentrating on her breathings. Sometimes she just daydreamt, thinking what she could have done and what she should do in the future.

Amber had been practicing Wu Shu since she was little, and it was the only thing that kept her sane in a dangerous world like Solaris VII. Its ancient Chinese philosophy kept her from straying toward 'dark' path that Mac relentlessly seduced her to do. Its breathing routines kept her composure inside a mech cockpit. Its physical training regimen kept her body in a picture of health, and helped her enjoy prolonged intimate sessions.

But today the backyard was occupied. Somebody was jumping up and down like a maniac in the backyard. Curious, Amber tiptoed to see who it was, and she was befuddled to see Jeremy. Amber hadn't seen him since he lost the _ugly_ match at Marik Tower. She heard what happened between Jeremy and Mac, and she understood if Jeremy became traumatic. Mac tried to stomp on him after he was ejected. Amber could imagine how it felt: the helpless feeling of a dispossessed mechwarrior, watching a battlemech coming at him to squish him. She wouldn't be surprised if Jeremy needed some time to recover from that experience.

Intrigued, Amber took peep to see how Jeremy was doing. It turned out that Jeremy was not actually jumping around. He was practicing some martial art techniques with his katana. His movement was fluid, focused, efficient, and sharp. Each movement reeked death. But once in a while Amber could sense disturbance when Jeremy streaked his blade. His grace was replaced with wrath and bloodlust, and his movement was loaded with urgency. A second later, he calmed down, and went back to his subtle movement.

The murderous beauty of Jeremy's movement captivated Amber, and she didn't know how long she stood there watching him. The next thing she knew, Jeremy let down his guard and shot her with a curt snarl, "What?"

"Eh… nothing, just watching you," Amber stammered. "Nice moves, by the way."

"Thanks," Jeremy replied unenthusiastically, then walked away to get a towel. "What do you want?"

"I don't expect to see anybody here at this hour," Amber murmured awkwardly. "This is my usual practice ground. But since you got here first, I guess I'll just leave you alone."

"You want this place?" Jeremy suddenly snorted. "Why don't you fight me for it?"

"Err… what?" Amber frowned. "What are you saying?"

"You need a place to practice, I need to spar," Jeremy walked slowly toward her with fire burning in his eyes. "Maybe we can help each other out."

It sounded like a good idea. Amber had been practicing alone for a long time, and it would be nice to see if she could still do real fighting. It would be good for Jeremy too because it gave him a chance to blow off some steam. Amber knew how good it felt after swinging her sword around.

"Alright, if that's what you want," Amber said as she unsheathed her dadao. She swung it several times, creating heavy whooshing sound that she hoped would intimidate Jeremy. "Do you want to take some rest? You're spent and I need some warm up."

"I don't need rest," Jeremy hissed, assuming an attack position, "I'm ready if you are."

Amber took her position while watching Jeremy's legs. He had a good posture, and although he had been at it for some time, he didn't seem to fatigue. Only his breaths gave away the fact that he was not as fresh as Amber. She decided to hold back a little and see how far Jeremy could handle her move.

Shifting her weight to her front leg, Amber took the first swing. It was not a serious swing, just to gauge Jeremy's reaction. Against her anticipation, Jeremy blocked her attack and heaved a nasty swing. His katana blasted her dadao with a loud clang, and she almost lost her grip it was so hard.

"Hey, easy!" Amber yelled as she jumped back to safety.

Jeremy answered with another attack. He jumped and made a thrust at Amber's midsection. Amber strained her arm muscles to block it, and the second clash echoed throughout the stable. The power of his thrust almost gave her a twist in her wrist.

"Jeremy! What's wrong with you?" Amber gritted her teeth.

"What's wrong with me?" Jeremy raised his voice. "You tell me what's wrong with me! Your boyfriend tried to kill me!"

Amber suddenly realized that Jeremy never intended to spar. He needed to beat up somebody to feel good, and she was there. Beating her up might feel special because of her ties with Mac. But she didn't want to be Jeremy's punching bag. "What Mac did was wrong, and I do not condone what he did to you," Amber fumed. "I know you're upset, but you can't vent off this way! If you want to spar, fine, but if you keep this madness, I will have to hurt you!"

"Then let's get it over with," Jeremy growled and fired another swing at Amber. But this time Amber was ready. She let the blade whizzed above her head, then made a small thrust at Jeremy's leg. Jeremy parried Amber's wide blade, but Amber busted Jeremy's wrist with the hilt of her dadao. Jeremy groaned in agony as he teetered backward, holding his right hand.

Amber's intention was just to intimidate Jeremy, to show him that she was not to be pushed around. But Jeremy saw it differently. He stripped his t-shirt and shot a dogged look at her. Sweat streamed down his hard abs, and Amber was stunned for a moment. His muscles were taut, not overly pronounced, just enough to show off his athleticism. Suddenly Amber found herself at the loss of air. Her eyes dried out because she forgot to blink.

Again Jeremy took the initiative. He lunged forward and fired a half swing at Amber's head. Amber raised her dadao to block it, gripping the hilt with all her might, but was surprised by how weak Jeremy's attack was. It was pale compared to his last vicious ones. Before Amber realized it was a trap, Jeremy brought his body low and hammered Amber's toes with his heel.

"Ouch!" Amber yowled as she hobbled. Her right toes throbbed, and they burnt just as she put them back on the ground. She might have them checked up later, but first she had to deal with Jeremy Stewart. She had been giving him a lot of room to move. To beat him, she had to take the aggression out of him.

Ignoring her throbbing toes, Amber charged forward with a series of attack. Her dadao whizzed left and right, aiming for Jeremy's neck. Jeremy was taken aback by the sudden burst of Amber's aggression. His katana blocked Amber's dadao with precision, but she pressed her attack with speed and determination so that Jeremy didn't have a chance to set up a counter attack. Slowly but surely Jeremy backpedaled while dodging and blocking.

Amber was impressed with his ability to match her moves, but she noticed a dark welt on Jeremy's wrist. She made a quick thrust at Jeremy's left leg. Instinctively Jeremy swung his katana to block it, exposing his wrists in the process. Amber cocked her left arm and punched the welt. A muffled groan escaped Jeremy's lips as his face contorted into a painful grimace.

Against Amber's expectation, her upper-hand was short lived. The punch was like a wake up call for Jeremy. He attacked her with new vigor, swinging his blade with the precision and dexterity she watched less than half an hour ago. Now Amber knew what it felt to be on the other side of Jeremy's blade. She blocked most of his attack, but his power started to wear her down. Her wrist became sore, and she was afraid she couldn't hold her dadao in a short time.

In an attempt to reverse the momentum, Amber stepped back and dodged Jeremy's attacks. She then lunged forward with her blade straight at Jeremy's midst. Unexpectedly Jeremy sidestepped her thrust, then raised his knee. As Amber sailed forward, he sank his knee at Amber's leg, just above her knee.

It was a good counterattack, Amber must admit. She just wished she wasn't the one that had to take it. The pain dominated her entire consciousness. She lurched and spiraled several times before crashing on her butts, gasping for air. She quickly heaved her dadao to block Jeremy's next attack, but he didn't make a move. He just stood still, giving Amber a chance to regroup.

"Why?" Amber sighed.

"I'm not Mac," Jeremy replied with a sour tone. "I don't take advantage of this kind of situation."

Amber didn't know if that was a jab directed at Mac or at her. If the situation were reversed, she would've pressed her attack, forcing him to surrender. And if he had to endure what Jeremy had at Marik Tower, her desire to retaliate must've been uncontrollable. But somehow Jeremy showed her that he was a different warrior. He respected his opponent. He was vicious in fighting, but merciful and respectful as a winner.

But no, Jeremy had not won the fight yet.

Slowly Amber got up and took a fighting stance, wincing as her leg trembled. Her tank was all dank and sweaty, and somewhat she felt it grew heavy on her. She wanted to be as fast as possible without the hindrance of her wet clothing, so she stripped her tank top. She almost laughed when Jeremy's eyes grew wide, as if they would pop out of their sockets. His reaction might be a reflection of her own minutes ago. It had been a long time since somebody appreciated her that way, and it felt quite flattering.

Well, it would've been his fault if he got distracted.

As Amber prepared a new strategy, she noticed that Jeremy's welt had doubled in size, and his grip started to weaken. A few strikes at his katana would dismantle him, and the fight would be over soon. Amber dashed swinging, swerving her dadao like a windmill. Jeremy dodged a few, but as he backpedalled, he was forced to block more. Each time their blades clanged, he cringed. Amber relentlessly struck his katana, and in the end, Jeremy let go of his blade. Her pressure on his wrist finally took its toll.

But when Amber thought the fight was over, Jeremy came back and busted her rib cage. It was not particularly crippling, but it made her double over. When Amber tried to compensate, Jeremy swiped her legs. With both feet facing the sky Amber crashed down, losing grip on her dadao in the process.

Jeremy continued his advance and grabbed Amber on the ground, trying to choke her, but Amber quickly reverse-crunched and leg-locked Jeremy's head. This sudden move caught Jeremy by surprise, and he squirmed hard to release his head from the leg lock. But Amber fastened her lock, restricting him from oxygen. She could hear her breath became heavier, and Amber tightened her legs. As his squirms weakened, she prepared her final blow. That, until Jeremy's elbow smashed Amber's bruised leg.

Amber felt like her leg was stricken by a mallet. Her muscles loosened up, and Jeremy found a room to get the much-needed air. He grabbed Amber's right toes and twisted them backward. The pain was almost unbearable, and Amber opted to give up her advantage. She rolled backward several times, leaving Jeremy gasping for air on the ground.

_This was supposed to be a sparring,_ Amber thought as she nurtured her toes and the bruise above her knee that had grown into a fist-size purple blotch. _No one was supposed to get hurt._ But now she could barely walk. Jeremy, on the opposite side of the backyard, sat on the floor while regulating his breathing, gagging and retching. _This has gone too far_. She wondered if it was worth continuing. But on the other hand, she didn't want to be the first one to quit.

"Had enough?" Amber shouted, hoping that Jeremy would have more reason than she did.

"I'm fine," Jeremy strained to reply. "Why? Are you hurt? Do you yield?"

Amber noticed Jeremy's unspoken plea to end the fight, but he was just as stubborn as her not to be the first to yield. "Just a scratch. Not enough to stop me."

Jeremy didn't answer immediately. He got up slowly and assumed his fighting stance. "Then give me your best shot."

_Well,_ _he asked for it_, Amber thought, and broke into a series of somersault. She was carefull enough not to use her right leg to spring her body into the air. When she got close to Jeremy, she slung her body into the air and extended her left leg like a javelin, aiming her heel at Jeremy's jaw.

But of course Jeremy had anticipated her move. He lowered his body until Amber's body shot above him. As Amber landed, he charged her from behind and grabbed her arms, twisting them in a gridlock. Amber twisted erratically, but she could only frree one arm. She pivoted and clutched Jeremy's throat, but Jeremy quickly caught her hand and pinned it down, thus immobilizing her in an awkward face-to-face position.

Involuntary Amber's palm touched Jeremy's abs. It made her stomach tingle. Her breath stuck in her throat. His ab muscles reminded her of Mac's, and the many nights she got to scrub her skin against them. Against her consent, her mind started to play with questions if Jeremy could use his ab muscles as deftly as Mac. When Jeremy released his grips on her arms, she didn't continue the fight. Nor did she take her palm off Jeremy's abs.

Amber didn't know who came on to whom. The next thing she knew she was pressing her body onto Jeremy's, mashing her lips onto his, matching his hunger with her own. It was not a romantic kiss; instead it was an angry one. She could feel a lot of rage through his lips. Nevertheless, it took her breath away. A shot of thought flashed in her mind, reminding her that Jeremy was on a quest to come back to his woman. But Jeremy didn't act like a man on a mission; rather he was as eager as she was.

"Stop… stop…" finally Jeremy found the strength to pull away. "We shouldn't do this."

"Nobody is here at this hour," Amber had forgotten all decency. "Nobody would notice…"

"Amber, please," Jeremy gently pushed her, much to her dismay. "I'm… I just can't do this."

"Uhm, okay," Amber walked back. "I understand." Her eyes met Jeremy's, and they stared at each other for a long time. Jeremy's wrath had long gone, replaced by lust and hesitation. As much as Amber wanted him, he wanted her, and Amber hoped that he shed his quest for his ex fiancée just for one night. She waited for him to jump forward and took her.

But it didn't happen. Jeremy turned away from her and left.

Suddenly Amber felt very lonely.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 **

_**Sutter Warehouse, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**January 16, 3068**_

The Bertoli Mafia compound was calm. Armed sentry patroled outside, guarding the warhouse block like a bull watching out for wolves. Due to recent intrusion, the mafia had doubled the guards. Half of them looked relax, enjoying the night with cigarettes and liquor. The rest of them combed the vicinity as if they already knew what was going to happen.

Two trucks sneaked through the night and parked about 1 kilometer away from the compound. Several armed soldiers jumped off the truck, followed by a man in a drab cloak. He cued his troops, and they opened the truck container. Four _Achileus_ battlearmors stepped out of the containers. They were not as big as _Elementals_, but their weapon systems were no less impressive. Each battlearmor carried a large-caliber machine gun and a flamer, a deadly combination for unarmored targets like the mafia thugs. The stealth armor would make them invisible on radar, although it would be superfluous against the mafia.

"No prisoner, no eye witness," the man in the drab cloak shortly barked. The _Achileus_ knew what it meant. Two of them charged the warehouse complex head on, while the other two used the night as their cover, creeping to the back of the complex, presumably cutting the exit.

It didn't take long until the thugs saw the two mechanized soldiers coming at them. They quickly fired their guns, blanketing the two _Achileus_ with bullets. The night went alive with muzzle flashes, and the sound of ricocheting bullets blended with shouts and yells from the thugs, as they poured their bullets unto the battlearmors.

But the bullets were not strong enough to breach the armor of the _Achileus_. The two battlearmors marched onward, seemingly undisturbed by the tin hail, then fired their own weapons. The rattling sound of 50-caliber machine guns swallowed the sound of thugs' weapons, and the bullet traces blitzed even brighter than the Rorynex muzzle flashes. The bullets went through the mafia hordes without opposition. Yells of commands turned into mortal screams as the _Achileus_ mowed down the mafia.

The fight woke the entire complex. Some thugs came out with RPG and shoulder-mounted SRM, but the other two _Achileus_ cut them short. Their flamers blazed like fire-breathing dragons, torching the thugs. Some of them were still trapped inside the warehouses when the _Achileus_ decided to burn everything. Tongues of flame turned the night into day, and the escaping thugs were quickly swept by the _Achileus_ machine guns.

The man in the drab cloak watched as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Satisfied, he called his troops back and mounted the trucks. The Achilleus quickly left the burning warehouse and regrouped at the trucks. As the trucks rolled into the night, sirene from cops and fire trucks screeched.

* * *

_**Horziba Manor, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**January 16, 3068**_

Young and ripe. That was how Mac would describe the two call girls sleeping in his bed, one on his left, the other on his right. Mac had heard about their reputation for some time, but it was the first time he actually asked for their service. And boy did they deliver. It was the wildest night he had been for a long time.

It was still early in the morning, but somebody rapped Mac's door with troubled urgency. With a grumble Mac got up from his bed and limped away toward the door. He opened the door, expecting some punk asking for money, but ended up dropping his jaw. Standing on the door was Omar, his new stable master. Blood soaked his white suit, and his breaths came in wheezing gasps.

"You…" Omar struggled for air. "You… you did this…"

Mac was still confused when Omar drew his pistol with his bloody hand. He tried to aim the gun at Mac but he lost his footings, and stumbled on the floor. The gun clattered, waking up the call girls. Upon seeing a bloodied man on the floor, the girls went into hysteria and escaped through the back door, leaving pieces of their clothings all over the place.

"What happened?" Mac stood befuddled. "Who did this?"

Omar didn't answer. He vainly took several deep breaths, wheezing in his death throes, then stopped moving. It was difficult to see what exactly happened to him, but judging by the amount of blood, Mac would guess that he was riddled by large-caliber bullets.

Panic, Mac hauled the body to the living room and closed the door. He sat there for a moment, thinking what he should do. He was afraid that whoever killed Omar would kill him too because of their relationship. The police would not believe him. It would be nice if he had somebody to help him. But Mac didn't have anybody. The only one he could ask for was Amber, but after what happened with them, he wouldn't expect Amber would help him.

In the end Mac decided to leave his place. He packed some clothes and left the apartment building.

* * *

_**Sandway Building, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**January 16, 3068**_

The spiteful ring of his comset forced Jeremy to wake up. It took him almost a minute to wash away the throbbings in his head. As it subsided, another throbbing kicked in, this time from his wrist. The purple blotch on his wrist quickly reminded him of the encounter with Amber, starting from an angry swordfight and ending in an angry – but pleasureable – kiss.

Then guilt started to seep in.

Why? Why did he do that, especially during his relentless attempt to win his fiancee back? Jeremy felt disgusted. He felt like he had betrayed Evee. Perhaps he had not been with a woman for too long. Perhaps he was thinking with his dick rather than his head. Or perhaps he felt that his chance to get Evee back had been stagnant, and he tried to fill in the hole in his heart with anything available.

Amber was a good mechwarior and she had high moral standard. Jeremy had grown some respect for her. And she was smoking hot. Her face, her shoulder, her breasts, all blended in a perfect harmony. But Amber couldn't be a substitute for Evee, not even close. Everything in Evee emanated grace and paramount. Under absolutely no circumstances Evee would sleep with some asshole like Mac.

Jeremy buried his face in his palms in frustration. Then Jeremy realized that his comset had been ringing for a long time. Slowly he reached for the comset and replied unenthusiastically, "Yeah."

"What the hell took you so long?" Kilroy burst from the other end. "Are you with somebody?"

"No," Jeremy lied. "What do you want?"

"Turn on the TV," Kilroy replied in a rush. "Just watch the news."

Jeremy shambled under the blanket and bedsheet and his own clothes until he found the remote, then popped the TV on. The news was broadcasting a man trying to address the situation. He was in his mid forties, dark hair brown eyes with a drab cloak, and there was an insignia of a sword in his left chest. Jeremy quickly recognized it as a Word of Blake insignia, and he immediately had a bad feeling about it.

"_My name is Precentor Adhem_," the man on the TV said. "_I am the Word of Blake lead cooperative here in Solaris. As of this day, Word of Blake has seized control of Solaris VII. We are here to clean the world of Solaris from the corrupt Lyran operatives and mafia infidels. I urge the citizen of Solaris City to accept this shift of power and give support to the new government. Cooperation with Word of Blake will be handsomely rewarded. Resistance is punishable by death._"

"No! It can't be!" Jeremy exclaimed. "How can Peter Steiner-Davion allow this to happen?"

"I don't know, but we're lucky the Blakes didn't nuke us," Kilroy replied. "Let's listen to this guy on TV."

"_Word of Blake has a new ranking system_," Adhem continued. "_From this point on, Solaris Gaming Commission is disbanded. All access to Class-6 arenas is revoked. Only those who pledged allegiance to Word of Blake are granted access to fight in Class-6 arenas. This is done to ensure that the fights are not affected by corruption. All game schedules and rankings of players are determined by the Word of Blake. Any other systems will not be recognized and are punishable by death_."

"Punishable by death? They can't do that!" Jeremy screamed. "They can't just redo Solaris tradition that has been around for hundreds of years! This is Solaris!"

"Jeremy, they just did," Kilroy sighed. "You heard him yourself. Either submit to this new system or become a fugitive and being hunted down by Word of Blake agents for the rest of your life." Kilroy paused for a brief moment. "There are 3 dropships ready to launch in an hour. Major Tom wants us to leave Solaris City for the moment. I've brought your _Apocalypse_ to one of the dropships. You have to make it to the starport."

"Running away won't make things better," Jeremy spat. "The Word of Blake already took Terra, crushed Outreach, Tharkad and New Avalon. Somebody has to stand up and stop these bastards!"

"With what, Jeremy?" Kilroy growled. "They already wiped out Solaris defenders in one night. They put their weapons on every strategic position in Solaris City. We are in shambles, Jeremy. There's nothing we can do. We stand up, we die. We run now, we'll live to fight another day."

Jeremy couldn't argue with that. The Word of Blake owned the high ground; they would have anticipated every possible move from Solaris mechwarriors and prepared a quick strike to deal with counterattack that might rise following the invasion. It was not the right time for resistance.

"I'll be there," Jeremy cut the comlink. He gathered everything he could fit into a bag, then left the apartment building.


	15. Chapter 15

****

Chapter 15

**Note:** I have been talking with **Ulquiorra9000, **the author of _MECHWARRIOR: The Prodigy_. The story is set in a non-canon "parallel universe" where the Clans are preparing the 3067 invasion of the Inner Sphere. The story has a very engrossing character development, where each mechwarrior had a dynamic background that characterized their fighting style. We realized that our characters lived in the same timeline, so we thought about making a crossover. If you follow _MECHWARRIOR: The Prodigy_, you'll know that 'crossovering' _Rubber Match_ and _MECHWARRIOR: The Prodigy_ is not simple considering the difference in settings. But **Ulquiorra9000** has been an open-minded and very easy fellow to work with, so we can sort things out.

This chapter is the last time my characters fight together. Some of my guys will leave Solaris VII to crossover with some of **Ulquiorra9000's** guys in a new story: _Nowhere To Run__. _The rest will continue surviving at Solaris, which is now controlled by the Word of Blake. There are a lot of interesting stuffs in _Nowhere To Run_ that we're cooking up, so if you like _Rubber Match_ and _MECHWARRIOR: The Prodigy, _please give _Nowhere To Run _the same support. Be sure to check on **Ulquiorra9000's** account; he'll launch _Nowhere To Run_ very soon. I'm excited about this crossover.

Other exciting news (for me ^-^) is 1) _Black Wolf_ is on again! 2) _I,Ker3nsky _has reached 9000+ hits and 100+ hits per month since its finale last year. If this trend continues, it'll break 10,000 hits in September. I have no words to express my gratitude to you readers. Thank you, thank you, and thank you very much for reading and putting interest in it. I hope you like what you read.

* * *

**_Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
_****_Freedom Theater, Lyran Commonwealth,  
_****_January 16, 3068_**

Amber peeked from her window, watching people poured into the streets like nest-ransacked insects. The sound of guns and explosions echoed in the distance, and smoke twirled from behind buildings. Cops and soldiers tried to help civilians and establish order, but in that state of chaos, nothing much could be done. Solaris City had broken into a massive pandemonium.

Amber was no stranger to anarchy. In fact, the scene outside brought her memory back to Styk – her home planet – several years ago. She was a burgeoning teen when Capellan Confederation invaded Styk Commonality. She vividly remembered standing on the street among hordes of people trying to escape Capellan's war machines. She could see death in their eyes; they were running for their lives, but they didn't have much hope.

Against her will, Amber was thrown into a war she wasn't ready to fight. But she didn't have a choice. The Davions were still staggering in FedCom Civil War, and the only unit available on Styk was a fraction of Lindon's Battalion. Amber and other kids at that time had to ally with Lindon's Battalion to fight the losing war. Although they were beseiged, they put up a good fight that bloodied the Capellan forces in a number of fronts. But in the end the Capellan troops were just too many.

Now, the Word of Blake repeated the Capellan's invasion several years ago, using fast and overwhelming troops that destroyed all defenders in a single night. But this time Amber was ready. She was a much better mechwarrior than she was on Styk. If she could bleed Capellans years ago, she could bleed Word of Blake now.

"Major Tom," she called the Ground Control stable. "It's Amber. I believe you're aware of the situation. Blake's forces have control over Solaris City, but we can show them that we're not some kiddies that they can push around. A lot of arena fighters have real military background, and I believe we can deal a severe damage…"

"You don't understand, lass," Major Tom cut her off. "The Word of Blake is different than any other enemies you've fought before. They already nuked Outreach, Tharkad, and New Avalon. These bastards will do whatever it takes to get what they want."

"The fact that they invade Solaris instead of nuking it tells me that they have interest here," Amber argued, "rather than just showing off their technological prowess and lust for power. It's not hard to find out what they want and sabotage it. Look, I've done this before, and I think we can do it."

"I know how much this invasion reminds you of Styk, but we are not in a position to wage war," Major Tom replied. "We are too scattered and too disorganized to fight the Word of Blake. Fighting in Solaris arenas is different than fighting in a real battle. So let it go, Amber."

"What are you saying?"

"Kilroy found some dropships ready to lift off. He already brought the _Apocalypse_ there. I want you to take your mech and make it to the starport. No arguing, Amber. We're leaving Solaris."

_Another evacuation… another retreat_, Amber sighed heavily as she shut her comlink. 'Evacuation' brought back a painful memory of Captain Joshua Gant of Lindon's Battalion, the only man that ever touched her heart. They met months before Capellan invasion, and they engaged in an illicit love affair, due to the fact that Amber was only 17 at that time. But it only made their relationship more torrid, and they went as far as professing their love to each other. It was the night before the Capellans overran Commonality – Lindon's Battalion coalition. Amber had to evacuate Styk without Joshua. She never heard of him again.

But it was not time to disobey Major Tom. She understood his position and responsibility as the stable master. She knew he looked up to her as the best mechwarrior of the stable. It was a difficult time for everyone, and as much as she wanted to stay and fight, she didn't want to make Major Tom's day more miserable than already had been. It was best to regroup with the other stable members.

Amber put some clothes into a dufflebag and rushed toward the door. But as soon as she reached the door, it burst open and Mac barged in. Before she could react, his hand clutched her neck and his body pinned her to the wall.

"Going somewhere?" Mac grumbled. "With Jeremy, I presume?"

"Maybe," Amber struggled to breathe. "He went through all the trouble to save my life. Is it so bad to show a little appreciation?"

"Appreciation my ass," Mac hissed. "You spilled my secrets to him!"

"Why not?" Amber replied with equal intensity. "We didn't share a thing but he was generous enough to help me out. Where were you, Mac? Where were you when I needed you? We shared nights together! You're supposed to be the one that give the most care for me!"

"Care?" Mac scoffed. "Don't you dramatize anything. You don't care for me. If the situation is reversed, you'd do exactly the same thing I did."

Even though it was true, it hurt Amber like a sword through her chest. She had been tolerant enough toward his insults, but his attitude was not to be tolerated any further. She had to stand her ground. "You didn't even care for my aid when I was taken hostage. I'm just a sex toy to you. So don't start questioning what I'm going to do with Jeremy."

"That little punk," Mac snorted. "What do you think you can get from him? Care? Attention? Love? You never need any of those. You come to me because you need me. You want to have sex with me, and I'm the only one that can satisfy your need."

"Then why are you making a big deal of Jeremy?" Amber snapped. "If you don't care for me at all, why do you care if I share anything with someone else?"

Mac's rage became out of control and he slapped Amber in the face. Amber didn't expect that Mac would hit her. She yelped and staggered behind, holding her face. Mac pushed her to the bed and pinned her, ripping her pants off.

"You sonofabitch!" Amber squirmed but Mac was an animal. "Mac! We don't have much time! The dropships… They're leaving!"

"Let them leave!" Mac roared. "You are not leaving with him!"

A sharp pain ripped her body as Mac forced his way in. Amber bit her lips. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. But the pain was too severe to handle. She caved in, whimpering as the image of Jeremy danced in her mind. She prayed for him to save her again, just like when he saved her from the mafia _gremlin_. But this time, Jeremy didn't come.

* * *

Mickey guided his _Jenner_ with utmost attention, carefully avoiding people on the street. It was not easy maneuvering on the street with burning cars and people running about. Driving a mech in this condition made him nervous. Lucky for him Major Tom, Stan and Jenny drove a car in front of him. He used the car as guidance to where he stepped on next.

"Oh my God, look at those people," Hyolee commented as she watched the streets from behind Mickey's command seat. "What would become of them?"

"That's not our concern, Hyolee," Jenny replied through the comlink. "Just be glad that you're not one of them."

"But the Word of Blake may kill them," Hyolee sighed, watching a mother struggling to get her two small kids to keep up with the crowd. "Can we take some of them with us?"

"You can't stop now," Stan stated. "We have to keep moving; otherwise we'll be late for the dropships."

"Don't worry, the Word of Blake will not kill them," Mickey reassured her. "They'll find a way to escape. We'll have to focus on our lives now."

They came to a sharp bend to the left, and as soon as Mickey made his turn, his radar flashed furiously. Several armored vehicles blockaded the street, backed up by a pair of LRM carriers. Unfortunately, the starport was just behind the blockade, and they would have to take a much longer road.

"Mickey, rip that blockade!" Stan ordered. "We don't have enough time to get around it."

Mickey was just started to move when the two LRM carriers launched their missiles. His console screamed proximity alert, and Mickey wasn't quick enough to take evasive maneuver. The _Jenner_ was jerked backward by the attack; its right arm sizzled with steam, sparks and smoke. Mickey gritted his teeth as his _Jenner_ dropped to one knee, twisting its torso frantically. His HUD went nuts with damage report, and his right arm went offline.

"Oh My God!" Hyolee screamed in horror. "Mickey, we're going to die!"

Mickey's head throbbed with headache. He had never seen missiles that accurate. It was obvious that the Word of Blake had superior targeting computers on their machines. He dragged himself up and tried to fight, but suddenly a massive quake jerked the _Jenner_, crunching its right arm into shredded pieces of titanium. Mickey lost control of his mech as it hobbled several meters before crashing into a building. He felt he was just rammed by a truck. His boned turned into mush. He looked up and saw a _Hoplite_ ready to deliver the killing blow with its autocannon.

"Run, dammit, run!" Stan's voice exploded in his ears. "Get out of there! We meet at starport!"

Without thinking Mickey fired his jumpjets to dash forward. The _Hoplite_ blasted its autocannon but the submunitions ravaged the wall behind him. Concrete shards showered him, but Mickey fired his jets, taking his mech into full speed. And when his legs touched the ground, he put all energy into the leg myomers. The antique mech wobbled and limped but managed to get out of the _Hoplite_'s killing field. The _Hoplite_ gave chase, but Mickey easily outran the sluggish mech.

"Hyolee, you OK?" Mickey asked as sweat beaded in his face. "Are you hurt?"

"No, but Oh My God!" Hyolee panted incessantly. "I thought we are toast! Where are Stan, Jenny and Major Tom? Are they alright?"

"I don't know," Mickey kept his _Jenner_ running while he tried to establish connection. "Stan, come in… Stan, Jenny, Major Tom… are you guys OK?"

The connection was never established. Even after Mickey and Hyolee reached the starport, they never heard anything about the other three. All Mickey could get on his comlink was static.

"Oh My God Mickey…" Hyolee sobbed. "The Word of Blake killed them!"

* * *

When Jeremy arrived at the starport, he had only 5 minutes to find the right dropship and hop on. Mechs, vehicles and people jammed the landing pads, trying to squeeze themselves in the dropships. But there were no available space, and the starport crews had to struggle hard to push the people back. They didn't want to overload the dropships.

It was not hard to find the right dropship. Mickey's _Jenner_ was still on the ramp, turning back and forth as if unsure what to do next. As Jeremy got close to the dropship, he could see his _Apocalypse_ on one of the dropship's bays. Kilroy did a monster job salvaging and rebuilding the 70-ton mech, although VEST must have helped tremendously. However, he didn't see Amber's _Vindicator_ or Stan's _Cyclops_. He could only guess that Amber and Stan didn't have time to get their mechs.

"Alright, count me," Jeremy stated as he got onboard and met Kilroy inside. "Haul Mickey in. We're leaving in less than 5 minutes."

"No, no," Kilroy shook his head. "We're the only ones that make it here."

"What?" Jeremy squinted. "You mean… we're it?"

"We're it… for now," Kilroy replied with urgency. "Major Tom, Stan, and Jenny were caught in a blockade. Mickey and Hyolee lost contact with them. And Amber… nobody heard anything."

"So… they're still out there?" Jeremy grimaced. "I told you this was a bad idea. I'm going after them."

"Jeremy," Kilroy caught his arm. "There's nothing you can do. You'll only get yourself killed, and even then you won't change a thing."

Jeremy knew Kilroy's words held the truth. He witnessed the utter chaos Solaris City had become when he made his way to starport. Looking Major Tom, Stan, Jenny and Amber in the vast city would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Worse still, Jeremy didn't know if they were still alive.

"One minute to launch," the dropship captain announced.

"Mickey, get in," Kilroy said through the comlink. "We're leaving."

The _Jenner_ reluctantly stepped inside and claimed the only unoccupied bay. As soon as the 35-ton mech was secured to the bay, the door rumbled close and the entire dropship trembled. The shaking became more intense for the next minute before it stopped, replaced by a soft hum as the dropship tore the clouds, leaving Solaris City behind.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**January 30, 3068**_

The Word of Blake occupation of Solaris VII brought unrest to the entire planet. Most mechwarriors hated the new gaming system because they could not fight in the Class-6 arenas unless they joined the Word of Blake faction. A few mechwarriors did join Word of Blake, but most of them didn't. Some fools stood up and openly criticized the change in game system. Two days later they all disappeared, and nobody saw them since.

Amber walked slowly into the stable, savoring the eerie quietness that enveloped the complex. The Word of Blake ransacked big-named stables all across Solaris City. They took everything they could, leaving only empty buildings and bodies of those who stood in their ways. Fortunately they passed the Ground Control stable. Everything was untouched, just like the last time Amber remembered seeing before this Blakist hell broke loose. She wondered if it was because the Ground Control was only a small stable so the Word of Blake overlooked it.

She peeked into the hangar and saw everything was intact. Her _Vindicator_ stood in the corner, sandwiched by two _Chameleons_. Stan's 90-ton _Cyclops_ stood alone on the opposite corner. Kilroy's tools were still scattered on the ground. Amber didn't know how Kilroy managed to work efficiently with his tools spreading across the large hallway. Perhaps he didn't; Mr. Roboto might have been the one behind the mechs' pristine condition.

Walking along, her foot hit a power wrench, and she picked it up. She remembered it as the one that was used by the mafia hitman to sabotage Jeremy's _Apocalypse_. Amber smiled as she remembered him. She remembered that his face was the first thing she saw after long period of drug influence during her hostage situation. She remembered his fluid movement with his katana, and she remembered having to muster every trick she had to beat the angry Jeremy. She wondered where he was, and if he made it out of Solaris.

"Good to see you're alive, lass."

The voice struck her like a thunderbolt, and Amber impulsively drew her dadao, only to see Major Tom, Stan, and Jenny walking into the hangar. They looked good, tired, but well and unhurt. Jenny in particular seemed to be in a good spirit. Amber recalled her rocky relationship with Jenny. The mysterious girl hated Mac with a passion, and she loathed Amber for going out with him. But today, she didn't seem as hostile as she was before.

"It's good to see you too," Amber replied, smiling in courtesy. "Why did you miss the dropship?"

"We got held up by a Word of Blake blockade," Jenny explained. "We were separated from Mickey and Hyolee. I hope they made it to the dropship. Kilroy brought the _Apocalypse_ to the dropship early, so I know he's off world. I don't know about Jeremy. Hopefully they all made it." She paused, looking at Amber with curiosity. "Why did _you_ miss the dropship?"

Amber was hesitant to tell the truth. Mac's harsh abuse was still burning. She wondered if she could gain their sympathy if she told them the truth. Maybe they would finally value her as a respectable woman. But she didn't feel it was right. If she wanted their approval, it should've been because of her chivalry instead of Mac's indecency. So she just replied coldly, "It's just not meant to be."

"Looks like your wish is granted after all," Major Tom smiled assuringly. "You always want to stay and fight. Several mechwarriors will hold a meeting at the Wasteland. We're gonna discuss a plan to strike the Word of Blake back. And here we are in a hangar with 4 working battlemechs."

"Come with us, Amber," Jenny added. "I know our paths were not always smooth in the past, but now it is not time for differences. We need pilots with your skill to kick the Word of Blake out of Solaris."

"You don't have to ask," Amber nodded with a broad smile. "Just tell me when the meeting starts."

* * *

_**The Wasteland, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**February 17, 3068**_

The Wasteland used to be a crime-ridden slum where crime gangs grew like mushrooms in the rainy season. But since Solaris VII fell to Word of Blake, the Wasteland had become one of few sanctuaries for mechwarriors, technicians, bureaucrats, and civilians that were outcast from the center of Solaris City. Up to this point the Word of Blake still restrained themselves from invading the Wasteland. So it was the perfect place to hold a meeting.

Visiting the Wasteland opened up an old wound for Amber. She didn't remember much about the ordeal due to intense drugging by the mafia _gremlin_. But the smell of industrial waste still lingered, and it brought back the painful realization that Mac didn't even consider to rescue her. He might have been responsible for everything. She could only wonder what would happen to her if Stan, Jenny, and Jeremy didn't come for her.

Amber tried not to be too melodramatic and focus on the meeting at hand. But it was impossible once she saw Mac among the other mechwarriors. He noticed her too; he gave her a mocking smile from the distance. Mac had always been disrespectful to her, but his last two conducts were way over the line. Amber could still feel the cramp in her stomach as a result of his abuse.

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me," a middle-aged mechwarrior addressed the crowd. "As we all know, the Word of Blake controls pretty much every aspects of Solaris. Right now only Blake-supported mechwarriors and stables are allowed to fight in the Class-6 arenas. They have robbed us from the only thing that we are good at. We can't let this go on!"

"I agree," somebody else added. "Religious zealots are not good for the future of our world. They had nuked Outreach, Tharkad, New Avalon, and several other worlds. And I heard rumors that they pray to their battlemechs."

"But how? Fighting in the street?" another mechwarrior said. "We are not capable of doing that! We are game fighters, you know! We play by certain rules. Besides, we are not used to working together as a team. We are individual fighters inside the arena. Fighting outside the arena was a different scheme, not to mention that Word of Blake do not play fair."

"Some of us here have real military training," Amber encouraged herself to speak up. "A few of us served mercenary units or worked for great houses before. I was in Styk paramilitia during Capellan invasion. We waged guerilla warfare against the much stronger Capellan troops. I think we can do it here."

"Before we go that far," yet another mechwarrior spoke up, "maybe we need to consider the other alternative. There is no use of fighting the Word of Blake. They're the ruler of Solaris now, so if they want our submission, I'd say we submit to them so we can start competing in Class-6 arena again."

"That is absurd!" Mac objected fiercely. "Word of Blake is not a good faction. They have no regards on humanity, much like the Clans. Do you want to sacrifice your ideals for false wealth and fame? I'd rather die than shed my dignity! If we want to defy the Word of Blake, we have to raise our arms and fight them!"

"Yea! I'm with you!" several mechwarriors shouted in unison.

"Wait, why should we follow Mac?" Stan pointed out. "He has no military experience. He's gonna lead everybody to die. Fighting without organization is suicide. That's what we're here for. We need a chain of command, a man that we can trust and look up to, somebody that has…"

"This is no time for hesitation, old man," Mac interjected. "The time is nigh. If you can't keep up, then maybe you ought to sit back and let the youngs do the fighting!"

More and more people rallied behind Mac. Some mechwarriors that had true military training tried to rein the crowd in, but Mac's supporters were mostly young mechwarriors. They were blinded by Mac's reputation and charm.

"Unbelievable!" Amber exhaled in disgust. She didn't understand why people couldn't see what kind of person Mac was. The fact that he was a successful Solaris arena fighter didn't make him a competent leader. Mac had never led anybody. Everything he did was for his ego. She couldn't even imagine how Mac could lead anybody to war.

But in the end, the young mechwarriors were just victims of Mac's charm, just like Amber. Mac knew what people want, and he gave it to them. The young mechwarriors needed hope, and he gave them false hope. Amber started to feel ashamed of herself when she thought about her past with Mac. How she fell into Mac's ego trap was beyond her.

"Alright, my plan is to destroy Word of Blake chain of supply," Mac said. "Their supply dropships arrive regularly each week. We will attack their dropships at the same time, so they will have a hard time launching counterattack. You guys, attack the dropship from the north. You, you and you, take the south entrance…" Mac continued dividing the task, until in the end he said, "Amber, you come with me."

At this time everybody turned around to see Amber dumbfounded. It was a clever set up by Mac. Amber didn't want to be a part of Mac's crack team, but she couldn't say no. A mob of young and hot-headed mechwarriors would lynch her if she dared to disagree with Mac.

"You need more firepower than Amber's _Vindicator_," Stan noticed the hesitation in Amber's eyes and stepped up to save her. "I'll go in her place. My _Cyclops_ carries a Heavy Gauss rifle that can help us advance."

"I don't need a hesitant washed-up on my side," Mac jeered Stan's offer. "You can have garrison duty. Just take your _Cyclops_ to guard your crippled friend."

"I'll go," Amber made her decision, "but I'm on my own. I will not answer to you."

"Whatever," Mac scoffed. "The more the merrier. That's what really matters. Reconvene at the starport in 48 hours. We'll show them Blakes what we're made of!"

The crowd dismissed themselves, leaving only veteran mechwarriors – those who experienced war firsthand – and non-combatants. Amber sighed heavily and looked at Major Tom's eyes. The old man greeted her with a somewhat piteous stare.

"I'm sorry lass," he managed to force a smile. "Just be careful out there."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_**East Dock, International Zone,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**February 18, 3068**_

The adrenaline rush of a mechwarrior grazing the battlefield had become foreign to Amber. She had been so accustomed to fighting in the arena that mech fighting had been a norm to her. She came, she fought, she won; just like that every single time. She almost forgot the anxiety of a true mechwarrior sneaking at the break of dawn, watching if the enemies were aware of her advance.

As she tiptoed toward the east dock, Amber watched her radar closely. Roughly a dozen young Solaris mechwarriors paced themselves toward the east dock, eager to deliver a crippling blow to the Word of Blake logistic fleet. She puffed harshly; this was not a coordination she was looking for. Taking out the Word of Blake needed more than just courage and enthusiasm. It needed skillful planning. All these kids had were just courage, enthusiasm, and Mac Storm's charm.

Speaking of whom, Mac's _Black Knight_ strode beside her _Vindicator_, and her private comlink flashed.

"You shouldn't wander alone in the dark," Mac teased. "You could get lost."

"I'm fine," Amber replied curtly. "Those kids need you more than I do. They're clueless."

"Clueless?" Mac chortled sarcastically. "Clueless, you think? They're dead! Soon the Word of Blake will awake and ground those rookies to bits. Don't you see? They're just diversions. Cannon fodders. As soon as the Blakists attack them, we're gonna make a run at their dropships and smoke them. We're it, Amber. You and me. We're gonna do it. We're gonna kill the dropships, then get the hell outta here before hell breaks loose."

"You asshole," Amber hissed in disgust. She should've seen it. Mac was still Mac; he did everything for his own sake. He manipulated those young mechwarriors to sacrifice their lives in the name of freedom, but in reality they'd die as a price of Mac's ambition. "This is not the time for personal quest, Mac. This is a matter of life and death, and you can't just waste lives like that. I'm calling it off."

"Don't forget that these kids do not answer to you," Mac's voice was full of jeers. "Why can't you just see what I see, Amber? You refuses to share my glory with you."

"You don't want to share your glory with me," Amber scoffed. "You just want to use me, just like you're using these young mechwarriors."

"We both know that's not true. You know how 'generous' I was when we made love."

It was a fact Amber couldn't deny. Her toes curled involuntarily thinking of Mac's exceptional stamina and great lovemaking skill that gave her boundless bliss more times than she could count. It was naive of her to think that Mac's 'generosity' was a manifestation of his affection for her. For a moment Amber basked in a thought of how nice it would be if it were true.

But as he demonstrated later, Mac never cared for her. He was just feeding his ego by taking advantage of Amber's addiction. No mattter how much her body ached for him, she had to stop it. She needed to regain her dignity.

"We never made love, Mac," Amber stated, painfully hiding the tremble in her voice. "It was just sex. It was good while it lasted, but nothing is worth remembering."

Before Mac's answer arrived, her radar exploded with heat signatures. Word of Blake's garrison flooded the area. Suddenly the quiet dawn turned into a boisterous riot. Laser strands, cannon shells, missiles and particle bolts flew every which way, turning morning into daylight.

"Let's kill'em all!" Mac screamed over the comlink. "This planet is ours!"

"No, Mac, the Blakes are too strong!" Amber tried to save the young mechwarriors. "Back off! Back off!"

But the young mechwarriors had been consumed by rage, and they threw themselves into the midst of the Blakist's formation. Amber realized there was nothing she could do, and she quickly focused on a _Buccaneer_ in front of her. The Blakist mech threw multiple lasers at her. Amber flinched and dodged most of the attack, but two laser bolts drilled her torso. They only scarred her armor, but Amber knew the Blakist was not to be underestimated.

Twisting hard, Amber retaliated with her PPC. The _Buccaneer_ dodged it, but Amber knew what was coming. She turned right and fired her lasers. Two bolts burnt a slab of armor in the _Buccaneer's_ left torso. Heat wave filled the cockpit, making her sweat.

The _Buccaneer_ shrugged the attack and shot its missiles. Amber fired her jump jets and dodged the attack, but the _Buccaneer_ latched on to her. Two more laser bolts hit her in the torso, followed by a large laser. The loss of mass shook her cockpit as her _Vindicator_ landed in a rough bump.

Amber steadied her mech and fired her PPC, scoring a direct hit on the _Buccaneer's_ torso. As the _Buccaneer_ buckled, the Triple-Strength myomer kicked in. Amber charged the _Buccaneer_ and swung her sword, but the Blakist mech parried her attack with its axe.

The _Buccaneer_ fired its lasers and cored Amber's center torso. Her alarm told her she had lost 40 percent of armor. Amber knew she couldn't stand long against the more powerful mech. The _Buccaneer_ had 10 tons advantage over her _Vindicator_, so she had to find a way to end the fight quickly.

Amber fired her lasers, keeping her mech hot. The _Buccaneer_ absorbed her laser and dashed forward to dismantle Amber's cockpit. She sidestepped the attack, and swung her own sword. Her sword went through the small opening between the head and torso of the _Buccaneer_, and breached the cockpit clean. The head flew a few dozen meters in the air, while the headless body backpedalled aimlessly. As the body slump, the head clattered to the ground.

Amber sweated profusely and noticed that half of the Solaris mechwarriors had perished. The Blakists mechs took advantage of the youngsters' inexperience and quickly dispatched them. The comlink, full of enthusiastic war cries, now reeked with fear and confusion. Mac was nowhere to be seen, and it took her almost a minute to spot him getting around the major battlefield to take a shot at a Blakist's dropship.

"Mac!" Amber called while dodging lasers and missiles. "Mac, we're in trouble! Give us a hand here!"

"They're too strong, Amber," Mac replied. "Our objective is the dropships. Clear the crowd and smoke the dropships."

"What? Are you nuts?" Amber yelled. "The Blakes are killing these men!"

"In case you haven't noticed, sacrifice has to be made," Mac answered as he broke into a sprint toward the dropship row. "Those mechwarriors are not worth your attention, Amber. But if you want to die with them, be my guest. I guess I'll just have to claim all the credit."

The closest dropship was online and only a single _Argus_ guarding it. The 60-ton mech immediately turned and opened fire. Mac sidestepped the attack, and the RAC shells flew harmlessly in front of him before slamming into some rusty machineries behind him. The _Argus_ immediately followed up with its missiles, but the rushed salvo only hit his right hip, digging craters on the smooth surface.

Mac lined up his crosshair on the _Argus'_ right torso and fired his PPC. The azzure bolt cored the torso, and the impact twisted the 60-ton mech to the right. His assault stunned the _Argus_ for a moment, and he fired his lasers in unison, melting two tons of armor on its right torso, then sank his Gauss slug right where his lasers landed. Molten armor sprayed into the air as his slug ripped the _Argus'_ torso. A sickening groan ensued as the _Argus'_ legs strained to keep the mech on its feet.

The _Argus_ came back with a vengeance. A long trace of ballistics hammered his front amror. Mac gripped his joystick, holding his mech steady. Another wave of missile came and pounded his left torso, leaving scars on the armor. The _Argus_ tried to score another hit with its medium lasers, but Mac brought his mech behind a concrete panel. Anxious to score another hit at Mac, the _Argus _foolishly swung around the concrete panel directly into Mac's weapon range. Mac fired his lasers and PPC together, evaporating armor on the center torso. Just as the _Argus_ swerved to shoot him, Mac let loose his Gauss slug, burrying it deep into the _Argus'_ right torso. Fire belched from the impact, followed by a fireball that split the torso. Sparks burst like speckles of blood, and the _Argus_ reeled in smoke.

Once again Amber coughed up her frustration by a long groan as she watched Mac easily sinking salvos after salvos at the unguarded dropship, while she and the young Solaris mechwarriors took the brunt of Word of Blake garrison force. The young Solaris mechwarriors were all but wiped out, despite her relentless effort to save them. The Word of Blake was just too strong for them.

Free from the attacker, some of the Blakist garrison mechs turned their attention at Amber. Now a _Blue Flame_ and a _Lightray_ started showering her with murderous lasers. Amber knew they were dangerous, so she fired her jump jets to take a better position. But the Blakists charged her and rained down their firepower on her. Her _Vindicator_ was hit by multiple lasers. Armor melted like butter, and the _Vindicator_ started to lose balance.

Amber gripped her joystick to regain balance, and fired his PPC. The _Lightray_ was jerked when hit by the PPC. But the Blakist shrugged it off, and returned fire with deadly precision. The other Blakists joined the fray from another angle, practically reducing Amber's chance to return fire to nonexistent. Amber fought hard to dodge their attacks but half of them hammered her _Vindicator_. Warning sign blinked furiously and warning klaxon blarred, making her dizzy. Her armor tracker turned red, and she knew she wouldn't stand another assault like that.

"Mac, I can't stay any longer!" she hollered as she turned around. "I'm getting out of here!"

"Take care of yourself," Mac replied coldly.

A _Gurkha_ tried to block Amber's exit. Amber made a quick aim and hit it with her PPC. As the _Gurkha_ reeled, Amber fired her jets and jumped over the light mech. The _Blue Flame_ and _Lightray_ gunned their engines but the reeling _Gurkha_ hindered them. They threw a fusilade at her, but Amber zigzagged between buildings, until she got a comfortable lead.

And then, the ground shook. Amber turned to see a big pile of smoke rising in the morning light. Mac certainly suceeded in destroying the dropships, and taking its glory and honor, if he could make it out alive. And that was a big 'if'. For one second Amber considered going back for him, but she quickly ditched the idea. Mac didn't deserve it.

So Amber stayed half a minute longer, wished Mac the best, then galloped through the streets of Solaris City, leaving the east dock behind.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Note: **It's been a while since I have a guest writer in my fanfic. **Ulquiorra9000** is kind enough to write a large part of this chapter and lend me his characters. It definitely helps me going through 2 fanfics, my own work schedule, and March Madness. Also, this is a crossover with Ulquiorra's universe. There are some inconsistencies with BattleTech/MechWarrior canon. However, he has some well-developed characters that will definitely enrich _Rubber Match_. At this point I am leaning more toward character development than canon. I hope you guys like it too.

* * *

_**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
Freedom Theater, Lyran Commonwealth,  
March 1, 3068**_

Fires lit the Solaris night like spirits wandering the earth inflicting their wrath on the living. Battle had broken out, not only in the east docks, but in the streets. Brash Solaris jock rebels had marched out into the open with their battlemechs, determined to show the Blakists what it meant to have your home trampled upon by uninvited guests. The Blake forces were taken by surprise by such a move, fighting to keep their lines in the streets as tracer bullets, glowing lasers, and salvos of missiles flew back and forth, shaking the very ground as civilians hid in fear inside their homes, desperately wishing that such a thing didn't have to happen.

But it did have to happen. This was the natural way of things, at least in the eyes of the Blakists and Clan invaders.

A dropship roared onto the scene, avoiding stray autocannon rounds as it moved to deploy its cargo. Three battlemechs were deployed right onto the front line, a trio that would change the face of this battle and maybe even the city itself.

"Let us not waste any time here. We still have our appointment with Precentor Adhem, and soon," the middle mechwarrior, Corvus Klein, told his two comrades as his _Star Adder_ stomped forth and loosed its medium lasers and autocannon 10 rounds at the Solaris upstarts. Both arm barrels shuddered and flared as their ballistic rounds were fired in volleys. "These rebels are in the way."

"Oh yeah, the capital building is just down the street, quiaff?" Corvus' younger sister Cassiopeia put in. "Convenient for us, then. We just have to fight our way down the street. Just as well, I wanted a warm-up session anyway."

"Indeed. Just do not get carried away, all right?" the last mechwarrior, Vela Klein, admonished her sister as her own _Vulture_ opened fire. "Adhem is expecting us." Her missiles slammed into a _Crusader_'s right torso, completely wiping out the remaining armor.

The old _Crusader_, battered and bruised, unleashed a desperate barrage of missiles. All but 3 hit the left side of the _Star Adder_, peeling a layer of armor. But the mighty _Star Adder_ absorbed the attack like it was nothing. Corvus knocked his alpha strike button, and two emerald beams leapt from his guns, followed by autocannon sub munitions, all raced toward the smoking _Crusader_. The medium lasers scrubbed off its remaining armor, and the cannon shells gouged deep into the engine block. The 65-ton relic exploded in a blinding flame.

Vela Klein quickly switched to a _Drillson_ hover tank that had been busy taking pot shots at them. Bringing down her arm, she peppered the hover tank with her lasers. The energy bolts raked the missile launcher, jamming it from releasing its deadly LRMs. The _Drillson_ gunned its engine, bringing the 50-ton hover tank directly facing its attacker. It triggered all its got at point blank, but the poorly-aimed salvo missed Vela by half a meter wide. Vela roared her LRMs, 4 of which slammed into the tank's launcher, igniting the warheads that were loaded up into the tube. The _Drillson_ erupted in a big, deafening explosion.

Cassiopeia swerved her own mech to join formation, but four medium lasers dug multiple holes in her torso. The sudden loss of balance caused her to step back, and the heat pushed her tracker several notches up. She twisted right and watched a _Vindicator_ taking a good hard lock on her. Blue plasma spewed from the right arm, and a bright flash followed suit. Cassiopeia turned and braced for impact, but the blast never came. Instead, a large shadow blocked her from the _Vindicator_'s shot.

"Brother!" Cassiopeia blurted, disappointed. "That is not necessary! I can take care of myself!"

"My mech has more armor than yours," Corvus' voice seeped through Cassiopeia's earpieces. "Save your armor. This one is mine." He sent his autocannon slug to the _Vindicator's_ right arm, ripping the armor on its beloved PPC. All but 2 connected hit the right arm, setting the armed-mounted PPC ablaze.

Bleeding fire, the _Vindicator_ turned away and ran. Cassiopeia swung past her brother's big mech and triggered her lasers at the thin armor of the _Vindicator's_ back. The escaping mech jerked forward, pierced by twin lasers. The armor quickly evaporated, and the Vindicator swung its torso to retaliate, but Corvus sank two laser bolts on its leg. Fire belched from the impact as Corvus' shots burnt the myomer, almost toppling the 45-ton mech. Cassiopeia punched her trigger, and a steady stream of missiles swarmed the _Vindicator's_ midsection. It staggered heavily, then disintegrated in a fireball.

With three quick kills, the threesome pushed through the opposition; they lent a hand to the Blake defenders, but not end the battle outright, preferring to carve their own way through and let the Blakists finish the job. The rebel defenders knew better than to take potshots at the backs of the three Clanners going past them, leaving the Klein siblings to make their way onto the front lawn of the governmental building without too much trouble. It was a sign of their arrogance how they brushed past a battle. Perhaps they would slaughter more Solaris rebels later in case the enemy got any wrong impressions.

* * *

Precentor Adhem stood before the wide windows of the governmental building's main office, taking in the dusky battle panorama. His gray cloak hung low and nearly brushed the carpeted floor as the tall man stood stock-still, his brow furrowing as he watched the two sides tear the city apart in their struggle. _When will the Clan representatives arrive? Those Clanner siblings?_

Raspy, metallic breathing was the first thing Adhem heard from the hallway he had his back to, and he whirled around to witness just those very people approaching him. He stared for a second at them, at first wondering whether he was seeing the right people or not.

The middle one was somewhat short and thin, wearing black leather clothing that was almost like armor. His raven-black hair was a tangled mess on his head, and his right eye was covered in a patch while the left one was uncovered, a striking blue color. He was supported by his two companions as he walked, and he had a stumbling, awkward gait as he moved and breathed heavily.

The other two were girls, one just out of adolescence and the other around fourteen years of age. Both were strikingly attractive but had faint looks of haughtiness about them, their vivid green eyes at once friendly and cunning. They helped the middle boy into the room, and saluted.

"Good evening... Precentor Adhem," the boy rasped, the girls letting go to let him stand on his own. "We apologize if there was any delay in our arrival, but the enemy ground presence was strong and our transport had to fight our way here."

"Understandable," Precentor Adhem nodded, running a hand through his dark brown hair, unsure what to make of this bizarre threesome. "Welcome to Solaris city. If I may, your names? For formality's sake, of course."

"I am Corvus Klein," the limping boy said, and the older girl identified herself as Vela Klein, and the younger girl as Cassiopeia Klein.

"I see... siblings, then?" Precentor Adhem commented, even though he already knew. "Is ilKhan Meras Nimare going to be here soon, as well? He has left communication as of two hours ago."

"He is," Vela nodded. "He has gone into his 'stealth mode' where no one may know of his presence until he arrives and makes himself known on his own terms. It is a favorite little trick of his. Expect him within the hour."

"We are his personal guards for this operation," Cassiopeia offered. "And we promise that we will do our best."

"Much appreciated," Adhem said, starting to pace. "You saw the rebellion movement the Solaris arena fighters are waging outside, didn't you?"

"Small fry, in my eyes," Corvus commented.

"Be warned, Kleins, that there may be more," Precentor Adhem warned them, stopping and looking at them with a sideways glance. "Are you aware that many arena fighters have simply gone missing? Not likely to be casualties of our occupation, but hiding. One such man goes by the name Mac Storm, a big figure around here. If my sources are correct, he even led the assault on the east docks just a few hours ago, neutralizing a number of my drop ships."

"That is horrible," Cassiopeia said sympathetically. "Should we avenge them for you?"

Adhem couldn't help a small smile. "You're known as The Vengeance among the Clanners, aren't you?" he said. "But yes, a hard lesson should be taught, and I'm offering you three the position to lead a strong counter-attack and draw out Mac Storm and whomever is causing me the most trouble. The more time passes, the more time the rebels get to gather their numbers and pose a real threat." He paused briefly, "I want him... dead."

"We will take that assignment, Precentor," Corvus said. "Without hesitation. We only need the mission specs to get started."

"So soon?" Adhem frowned. "You only just now arrived. Are you sure you don't want to settle in?"

"I do not want to lose any chance, however small, of making a difference," Corvus rasped. "Do not worry about us. We can take on any mission, any time."

"Very well," Adhem said. They're shaping up to be good comrade, if not peculiar ones. "I'll have an officer get you the files in your private quarters here. Corvus... forgive me, but how can you stand to wear bulky leather clothing like that? It makes you limp."

Vela suppressed a small smile as Corvus said, "Thank you for the concern, Adhem, but I feel just fine like this. I would... rather not show you why, but I have little need for personal comfort." He tapped his eye patch. "Would you like a hint?"

Cassiopeia giggled behind her hand. "Stop teasing people, Corvus," she said, lightly slapping her brother's arm. "What is with you this evening?"

"I apologize," Corvus said, lowering his arm and turning. "Thank you for the updates, Precentor. We will not disappoint, I promise you. Expect satisfying results from us."

"Very well. Dismissed," Adhem told them, and the three marched off again, the girls supporting their brother as he stiffly shambled along. He turned back to watch the battle again, feeling distinctly disturbed. _What mad times we live in, eh?_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 **

_**The Riverfront, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**April 2, 3068**_

When Mac saw the _Star Adder_ and two _Vultures_ for the first time, he thought he was dozing off.

Mac didn't care much about politics and sociology, but he knew the Word of Blake and the Clans were very different in nature. The honor-driven Clan ideology shouldn't sit well with the Blakist's result-oriented operations. So why were they here, helping the Word of Blake? Were they working together? If so, then what was the nature of their collaboration?

Those questions bore little significance to Mac in terms of Solaris liberation, but it was a big deal for his personal quest. His survival depended on his fighting strategy, and fighting the Clans was entirely different from fighting the Word of Blake. Perhaps it was the Blakist's strategy to discombobulate the Solaris resistance, so he just had to be really vigilant.

As the big _Star Adder_ tromped the river bed, Mac lined up his reticule squarely on the Clanner's chest. As the reticule burned gold, he clicked the trigger. A soft tremor rocked the cockpit as the nickel-ferrous shell leapt from the tubes, leaving only disturbed air behind it. The metallic shell slammed into the heart of the _Star Adder_, forcing it to buckle, but the thick armor stopped it from reaching delicate structures. Mac followed up with his lasers, but the result remained the same. The _Star Adder_, showing only little respect to Mac's attack, marched on unabated.

"All hands, target the three Clan mechs on the river bed!" Mac barked. "Stop them at all cost!"

A couple of _Jaggermechs_ moved in and let loose a barrage of missiles. For a moment the _Star Adder_ was blanketed by fire as the missiles detonated, throwing shards of armor in every direction. The _Star Adder _quaked, trying hard to keep standing as the missiles punched cracks on every part of its body. Only the skill of the mechwarrior kept it on its feet.

As the _Star Adder_ reeled, the two _Vultures_ covered the big mech and answered the missile call from the two _Jaggermechs_. A dozen missiles slammed into a _Jaggermech's_ front armor, pushing it to the right, almost toppling it. Tongues of fire bled from the torso. The other _Vulture_ painted the second _Jaggermech_ with deadly warheads to the left shoulder. Half of the left torso exploded, sending the _Jaggermech _reeling to the right before skidding on the river bed, leaving a long skid mark. Its left arm whirled in the air until it landed on a building and exploded.

More mechs came to answer Mac's call. An _Enforcer_ and a _Centurion_ reached the firing range for their autocannons, and submunitions whistled in the air before slamming into the _Star Adder's_ chest, shredding armor like paper. The big mech staggered, taking small steps backward, momentarily hiding between the two _Vultures_.

The _Vultures_ happily took the brunt of the middleweights and pumped up their lasers. The _Enforcer_ caught the majority of the attack; two strands ate up the armor and myomer bundles of its leg. The _Enforcer_ lost balance; armor and myomers sizzled in different directions. The Vultures unleashed their missiles in unison, and the impact decked the _Enforcer_ so mightily it tumbled and skidded on the hard pavement. Dark smoke billowed from its gutted torso, and power cords whipped about, a sure sign that it was out of action.

_Who are these guys? _Mac thought as he centered his crosshair on the _Star Adder's_ chest. Their precision was way above Word of Blake grunt troops, and he could've sworn that these three had collective minds. In his younger days Mac always laughed at the hypothetical _Borg_ community where unique, independent individual didn't exist. But now he was almost a believer. If _Borg_ existed, then he was fighting them now.

As the _Star Adder_ went back into action, Mac mashed his alpha strike button. His _Black Knight_ trembled, and waste heat spiked to dangerous level. But the Clan mech merely sidestepped his attack, letting the colorful traces whittle a large crater on the river bank. From behind the dust curtain the _Star Adder_ launched its murderous counterattack: a well-placed autocannon salvo right in the midst of Mac's _Black Knight_.

"Bastard!" Mac cursed as his _Black Knight_ reeled, cockpit first. His head got dizzy and his stomach churn from the recalibration signal his neurohelmet sending into his brain. He yanked his joystick backward to maintain balance. The myomer on his actuators screamed in protest. His _Black Knight_ swayed like a drunken giant. But in the end he regained balance, although he realized he couldn't take any more shot like that.

Meanwhile the two _Vultures_ kept the pressure on the two _Jaggermechs_ and the _Centurion_. One _Vulture_ throttled up and poured its missiles on the closest _Jaggermech_. The _Star Adder_ joined the fray with its PPC, opening up a large gash on the Jaggermech's torso. The last _Vulture_ took advantage of the momentary lapse of action against it. With a hard lock, the Clan mech sent a death blow to the mangled torso. The last explosion incinerated the ammo bins, and the _Jaggermech_ exploded in a huge fireball.

"We're getting out of here, Mac!" one of the mechwarriors yelled in panic. "We're getting creamed! We need some serious firepower against these guys!"

"Hold the line, dammit!" Mac barked in frustration, but the battle was lost. The morale was damaged, the fighting spirit gone, and the need to survive had dominated logic. The remaining Solaris mechs just simply turned their backs and ran away.

Mac himself was greatly disparraged. He scored massive hits that would bring down even a hundred-tonner, but the _Star Adder_ didn't seem to feel it. True, the paper-thin front armor of the Star Adder wouldn't stand another attack, and one more good salvo would definitely destroy it. But without screens, the two _Vultures_ had switched their targets on Mac, and he had seen how deadly their missile attacks were. It was not worth doing.

Nothing worth more than his life.

Mac rarely turned his back on a battle, but today was an exception. Nevertheless, at least he would only hurt his ego.


End file.
